13th National “Salva la tua lingua locale” Award

Two volumes from the Zimme de braxa series, published by Editrice Zona under the auspices of the Conseggio pe-o patrimònio linguistico ligure, were honored at the thirteenth edition of the National “Salva la tua lingua locale” (Save your local language) Award, organized by the Italian National Pro Loco Union and the Eugenio Montale International Center. Gh’é o vento ch’o mescia by Paolo Besagno won joint first place in the Published Poetry category, while Ei foe déi ferguò by Roberto Benso was a finalist in the same category.

The award ceremony will take place on December 5, 2025 in Rome, in the Protomoteca Hall on the Capitoline Hill.

With these recognitions, the series confirms its role as a key reference point for the promotion of the Ligurian language and literature.

New titles in the “Zimme de braxa” series

The literature series Zimme de braxa – originally launched in November 2023 – celebrated the publication of its first twelve volumes this spring. The initial volumes had been dedicated to the 18th-century theatre of Stefano De Franchi (1. Ro mêgo per força), the Savonese fables of Giuseppe Cava (2. Föe moderne), and the poetry in the dialect of Carrosio by Roberto Benso (3. Ei fóe dei ferguò). To these, the series has now added an anthology of 20th-century journalistic prose (5. Zena, rivista trimestrale 1958–1959), plays (6. Nuvie reusa a-o tramonto / Giacomiña) and short fiction (10. Conti curti) by Alessandro Guasoni, the complete poetic works in volume of Plinio Guidoni (11. A stissa ch’a ciòcca into veuo. Poexie 1969–1990), an anthology of songs and literature of the Resistance in Liguria (12. Sotta à chi tocca!), and collections by contemporary poets such as Danila Olivieri (4. Fî), Andreina Solari (8. Penscëi mai diti), Anselmo Roveda (7. Abrexê do çê), and Paolo Besagno (9. Gh’é o vento ch’o mescia). All volumes, as is customary in this series, are accompanied by appendices exploring the literary, historical, and linguistic dimensions of literature in Ligurian.

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Ischitella–Pietro Giannone Prize

The 22nd edition of the Ischitella–Pietro Giannone Prize, one of the most prestigious competitions for an unpublished poetry collection in the languages of Italy, includes among its winners our member Anselmo Roveda, who was awarded second place for his Genoese collection Santacroxe de l’ascoso sentî (“Abecedary of hidden feelings”). First place went to Grazia Scuderi, with the Sicilian collection Primintiu (“First fruits”), while third place was awarded to Andreina Trusgnach for Med razpoki (“Between the folds”), written in the Slovene dialect of the Natisone Valleys (Province of Udine). In over twenty years of the Prize’s history, this is the first time a Ligurian poet has ranked among the winners. This year’s twelve finalists also included two other Ligurian poets: our member Alessandro Guasoni – also honorary president of the Council – with Tutta a vitta d’azzardo ò zugou (“I’ve gambled my whole life”) in Genoese, and Amilcare Mario Grassi, with Dorzòe de càn (“Dog’s tenderness”) in the dialect of La Spezia. A selection of poems by all three Ligurian authors is published in the issue no. 114–115 of the journal «Periferie».

Proceedings of the “International conference on studies and reflections on the linguistic heritage of the Intemelio region”

The proceedings of the “International conference on studies and reflections on the linguistic heritage of the Intemelio region” were published in March. The conference was held in Ventimiglia on October 5, 2024, and was organized by the Académie des langues dialectales (Monaco), the Cumpagnia d'i Ventemigliusi (Ventimiglia) and the Conseggio pe-o patrimònio linguistico ligure (Genoa). The proceedings, edited by Stefano Lusito, can be purchased on the website of the Académie des langues dialectales for 20€.

Here is the summary:

Claude Passet, Premessa. – Marco Scullino, Preambolo. – Stefano Lusito, Presentazione. – Claude Passet, Lo studio scientifico del monegasco : inventario e progetti. – Alberto Sismondini, La «Cumpagnia d’i Ventemigliusi» dalla «Barma Grande» a «Intemelion» : verso i cento anni di studi sui dialetti dell’area intemelia. – Werner Forner, Una classe nominale non antica nei dialetti intemeli (e altrove). – Dalila Dipino, Lorenzo Filipponio, Davide Garassino, Ai confini della Liguria occidentale: opportunità e limiti della ricerca sul campo. – Andrea Capano, Un possibile arcaismo fonetico in ventimigliese: sugli esiti -[b]- da -P- e -[br]- da –PR–. – Roberto Moriani, Il lessico pastorale brigasco nella toponomastica delle Alpi liguri. – Sylvie Leporati, Isabelle Albanese, Insegnare e trasmettere il monegasco, dalla scuola ai corsi per adulti. – Rita Zanolla, Insegnare il dialetto a Ventimiglia? Uno sguardo tra passato e futuro. – Stefano Lusito, Il caso del monegasco fra prerogative istituzionali, normazione linguistica e didattica : un possibile modello per le parlate liguri ? – Giorgio Oddone, Le parlate liguri : segno di identità, dalla provincia al mondo.

“From the Genoese Anonym to Political Prose: Forms and Uses of the Genoese Vernacular in Medieval Times”

A lecture titled “From the Genoese Anonym to Political Prose: Forms and Uses of the Genoese Vernacular in Medieval Times” by Stefano Lusito will be held on November 5 at 4.30pm at the Historical Archive of the Municipality of Genoa.

For good reason, the Genoese Anonym – who lived between the 13th and 14th centuries, whose works have reached us in two different manuscript codices – can be considered the founder not only of literature but of the entire written use of Genoese as a language with its own communicative functionality and precise identity value. In particular, the strong “civic” component of his rhymes – focused on exalting patriotic glories, often specifically referencing demographic and urban aspects of the regional capital, and criticizing internal struggles within the Commune – makes his production an extremely significant document for understanding various elements that describe the history of Genoa in the late medieval period.

Starting from the decades following the Anonym’s work (rediscovered only at the beginning of the 19th century, but likely known in previous centuries), Genoese saw its uses expand both as a means of transmitting knowledge and learning (especially in vernacularizations and translations of widely circulating texts in the Romance area), and as the language of the local chancellery – alongside Latin – in administrative and political documents written both on the mainland and in the commercial colonies of the Commune of Genoa scattered throughout the Mediterranean. For example, a treaty stipulated in 1380 in Crimea with the Khan of the Tartars was translated into Genoese, and even in 1473, Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II used Genoese to communicate to the Genoese stationed in Chios his victory in battle against a rival leading a Turkoman confederation.

The lecture, starting from the production of the Genoese Anonym (whose two attestation codices are currently on display as part of the “Ianua – Genoa in the Middle Ages” initiatives), will present forms and contents of the author’s collection, and subsequently mention the main uses of the local idiom in medieval times. During the presentation, the internal evolution of Genoese from its earliest attested phases to the present day will also be briefly reviewed and exemplified in its general aspects.