The International Travel Literature Festival, dedicated to the English writer David Herbert Lawrence, confirms its position as a key event for cultural debate surrounding travel and the identity of local communities. This year's theme, "You Are Not Alone," aims to place women at the center of the debate: literature as a tool for emancipation and social awareness against violence against women. This year, the 2025 Lawrence Prize for Literature was awarded to writer and journalist Maria Francesca Chiappe, Councilor for Culture for the City of Cagliari. The citation: "For her ongoing commitment to raising awareness on issues such as the status of women, femicide, and violence against women."
This weekend has a packed program. Today, Saturday, November 29th, at 5:00 PM, the book "Rocco and the Mystery of the Golden Butterfly" by Pamela Pingiori will be presented in the former municipal library of the former Convent of San Francesco. Mayor Umberto Oppus will be in conversation with the author. At 5:30 PM, the University of Sassari and the Municipality of Mandas will present the PNRR project funded by the European Union as part of the "Next Generation EU" program: "The Tracks of Memory. A Journey through the History and Future of the Sardinian Railways." Participants will include Umberto Oppus, Councilor Walter Uccheddu, Professor Luca Pulina of the University of Sassari, and project coordinator Marina Adamo. At 6:15 PM, the video "DH Lawrence's Journey to Sardinia," created by students from Class 3A of Mandas Middle School, with the help of teachers Stefano Pisano and Maria Pina Enis, will be presented.
At 6:30 pm, the 2025 Lawrence Prize for Journalism will be awarded to journalist Anna Piras, Deputy Director of Rai Parlamento, "for demonstrating, throughout her professional career, that women in the newsroom are not just a matter of equality but also a means of providing a more comprehensive perspective on the Sardinian and national situation. She has combined this work, both at Rai Parlamento and as Editor-in-Chief of Tg3 Sardegna, with information and institutional communication, listening to local communities, and representing citizens' needs." Anna Piras will be in conversation with Paolo Mastino, RAI journalist and President of USSI Sardegna. The 2025 Lawrence Prize will be presented by Renzo Persico, President of the Costa Smeralda Consortium.
Tomorrow, Sunday, November 30th, we'll be back with "Lawrence and Frida's Journeys": at 8:50 a.m., the Trenino Verde, Lawrence and Frida's train, will depart for Laconi from the Mandas train station.
