The 38th edition of the Salone Internazionale del Libro broke attendance records, filled halls beyond capacity, and confirmed that reading culture in Italy is not only alive but growing younger.
The Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino closed its doors on Monday with its strongest figures in the fair’s history, attracting 254,000 visitors across the five days from 14 to 18 May. this was up from 231,000 in 2025. The figures were announced by CEO Piero Crocenzi at the closing press conference in the Sala Oro at the Lingotto’s Oval pavilion.
For the first time, Thursday’s opening day surpassed 40,000 entries, Friday exceeded 50,000, and Saturday — the fair’s peak day — broke through 70,000. The 40% of scheduled events that sold out was almost double the proportion in the previous edition, and approximately 132,000 visitors attended organised talks and meetings across 36 conference halls and eight workshop rooms.
The fair also drew visitors from across the country and beyond: 62% arrived from outside Turin and 51% from outside Piedmont, with Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Liguria among the most represented regions after Piedmont itself. Season pass subscriptions have grown 66% since 2024, reflecting a shift towards repeated, planned attendance rather than one-off visits.
The year of young readers
This 38th edition carried the theme Il mondo salvato dai ragazzini (The World Saved by Children) and the young readers it celebrated showed up in force. Some 63% of visitors were under 40, 24% were under 25, and school attendance reached an unprecedented 34,500 (students and teachers combined) representing a 25% increase on the previous year.
The Romance Pop Up was among the fair’s most emblematic successes, selling out on both its scheduled days and attracting 6,500 visitors, overwhelmingly young women, who left with over 30,000 signed copies between them.
The single most attended event of the entire fair was that of Bernie Sanders, who came to Italy to present his book Contro l’oligarchia (published by Chiarelettere).
Publishing houses report strong results
The Mondadori group closed with a 10% increase compared to 2025, with top sellers including Il tempo del la la la by Luciana Littizzetto, Alberto Angela’s Cesare, la conquista dell’eternità, and Arkansas by Chiara Tagliaferri. Neri Pozza reported growth of 50%, with Michael McDowell’s L’amuleto as its best-selling title and sold-out events including one with Abraham Verghese and Benedetta Parodi. Sellerio also closed strongly, with notable performance from titles by Simon Mason and Dario Ferrari, and reported selling out of its copies of Hanya Yanagihara’s Una vita come tante.
The city and the Salone Off
Beyond the Lingotto, 50,000 people attended the 1,100 Salone Off events held across nearly 400 venues throughout the city. The model continues to embed the Salone into the city’s civic fabric rather than confining it to a single venue.
There were also, as in previous years, complaints about queues and the high cost of entry and food — a perennial tension between the fair’s growing ambitions and the practical experience of attending.
The 2027 edition
The next edition will run from 13 to 17 May 2027, with the Rights Centre operating from 12 to 14 May. Lazio will be the guest region and Catalan literature the guest of honour, with Anna Guitart, director of the Institut Ramon Llull, present at Monday’s closing press conference to mark the announcement. Questions also remain over the venue: the fair’s contract with the Lingotto runs for one more year and organisers have indicated that further negotiations over the long-term future of the location will need to begin.
Annalena Benini, who has served as the fair’s editorial director, will continue in the role for the 2027 edition.
