Milena Palminteri wins the 2025 Bancarella Award.

Milena Palminteri, with her debut novel "Come l'arancio amaro" (Bompiani), has won the 73rd Bancarella Prize, one of Italy's most prestigious literary awards. With 204 votes, the Sicilian author won the majority of the jury, composed of independent Italian booksellers, taking home the prize's signature sculpture: San Giovanni di Dio by artist Umberto Piombino.

A resounding victory, celebrated on the stage in Pontremoli (Massa Carrara) during an evening hosted by Valeria De March of TgCom24, which featured the six finalists of the 2025 edition. "Come l'arancio amaro" (Like the Bitter Orange) is a story of women, sacrifice, and rebirth, set in a harsh yet luminous Sicily of the 1920s. The protagonist is Sabedda, a courageous mother forced to give up her daughter Carlotta to ensure her a free and dignified future. A powerful and profound story, it moved the audience and the jury with its narrative power and authentic female perspective.

"I am incredulous and grateful," Palminteri said during her acceptance speech. "This book was born from a desire that matured in old age: to learn to read deeply, and then learn to write. I dedicate this award to my niece, and to all the women who, after every winter, return to blossom in all their splendor."

The 2025 edition marked the eighth consecutive victory for a female author at the Bancarella, and the fourth in a row for a Southern Italian writer. On the podium, Paola Jacobbi took second place with "Luisa" (Sonzogno), receiving 123 votes, and Gianni Oliva's "Il pendio dei noci" (Mondadori) came in third with 112 votes. Luca Mercadante's "La fame del cigno" (Sellerio) followed with 109 votes, Martina Pucciarelli's "Il Dio che hai scelta" per me (HarperCollins) (100 votes), and Guido Rodriguez's "La ragazza con la gola a fiori" (Morellini) with 72 votes.

"It was a wonderful competition," said Ignazio Landi, president of the Città del Libro Foundation. "This year, we awarded six highly esteemed novels. But Milena Palminteri touched everyone's hearts with a powerful, sincere, and vibrant book."

On stage, alongside the finalists, were guests such as pastry chef Iginio Massari and political scientist Alessandro Orsini, who presented his essay "Casa Bianca Italia" (Paperfirst). Also present was Carlo Musso, co-author with Pope Francis of the book "Spera" (Mondadori), which had already won the Bancarella Unicum Prize in Milan and was again honored with a symbolic miniature of the award.

Presenting the San Giovanni di Dio Award to Milena Palminteri were Ignazio Landi, the mayor of Pontremoli, Jacopo Maria Ferri, and Stefano Zanetto, general manager of Vittoria Assicurazioni, the main sponsor of the Award. "For us in the insurance industry," Zanetto said, "it's important to protect, support, and believe in stories. And seeing such a vibrant community around books is a wonderful sign for our country."

Milena Palminteri, originally from Palermo but now living in Salerno, worked for decades as a curator in notarial archives. It was precisely among the dusty papers of an old file that she found the spark for her first story: a newborn baby being carried in a basket, a mother accused of buying it. From that episode, a novel was born, which has sold over 200,000 copies in Italy and is being translated into 14 languages. Its international launch will begin with publication in France on August 20th.

In the same setting in Pontremoli, on Saturday, July 19, the 62nd Bancarella Sport Award was presented to former Italian national team goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon for his autobiography "Cadere, alzarsi, caduta, alzarsi" (Mondadori), co-written with Mario Desiati, which received 193 votes. In second place was Paolo Piras, author of "Vertical - Il romanzo di Gigi Riva" (66thand2nd), third place went to Claudio Colombo with "Giù la testa" (Duck, You Sucker!). Reinhold Messner's "La mia vita controvento" (Corbaccio) came in fourth, Franco Nugnes's "Senna le verità" (Edizioni Minerva) fifth, and Nicola Calathopoulos's "Gioco sporchi - I misteri dello sport" (Gallucci Editore) sixth.

(by Paolo Martini)