Dear friends, at Poggio ai Santi we have always believed that the surest way back to nature is through the senses — a taste, a scent, the light at a certain hour. This autumn we open another path in: words. And so, among the olive trees and the sea breeze that brushes our hill, on 17–18 October we will host our very first Natural Poetry Festival.
The theme could only be one: The Seed. Why a seed? Because it is the origin. Because it holds the future in silence, as a poem does. It needs fertile soil, time and care — exactly like the emotions we hope to awaken.
And this is where you come in. We have opened the Festival to everyone, from seasoned poets to absolute beginners. The contest is already online at concorsiletterari.net and welcomes verses from all over Italy and beyond — register on the portal and send your poem by 15 September.
You don’t need to be Montale — only a thought, an image, an emotion you would like to make bloom. To help, from July every room holds a logbook, ‘Seeds of Words’: a little book of gentle exercises to become, for a moment, a poet (in Italian and English, with French and German a QR-scan away). And you can try it at home too — we have gathered our ‘seed-cards’ into a free download. Take one, plant a thought, and see what grows. Download ‘Seeds of Words’ here: https://qrfy.io/TVdul2uF2E
A jury of experts (details on concorsiletterari.net) will read every entry and choose the top three, alongside special mentions. The prizes: a weekend at Poggio for the winner; for second and third, wooden crates of local produce and engraved plaques — a way to bring other local makers into the celebration too. The Festival is also held under the patronage of the Comune.
For us, every occasion is a chance to draw people closer to nature. This time we do it with words: invisible seeds from which beauty can grow. We will be waiting for you in October, to harvest together what we have sown. And if you would simply like to follow the journey — our Poetry Club — write to us at newsletter@poggioaisanti.com.
With love from our land, the team at Poggio ai Santi.