Genoa, 27 February – A new collaboration between Premio Paganini and Premio Bagutta, Italy’s oldest literary award, will celebrate the dialogue between music and literature. The partnership will include a special musical event scheduled for next autumn.

The initiative will be officially presented on 1 March at Palazzo Marino by the President of the Premio Paganini, Giovanni Panebianco, alongside Artistic Director Nicola Bruzzo, together with the Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, during the launch of the Premio Bagutta centenary programme.

“The dialogue between Premio Paganini and Premio Bagutta represents a cultural bridge of extraordinary significance between Genoa and Milan” stated the Deputy Mayor for Culture of the City of Genoa. “This collaboration brings together two century‑long histories that have shaped Italian cultural identity, connecting the universal language of music with the evocative power of literature. It is a meaningful example of how culture can unite territories, skills, and visions, generating new opportunities for growth and exchange.”

“I am truly proud that Premio Paganini can contribute to the Bagutta centenary,” commented Giovanni Panebianco. “My thanks go to Isabella Bossi Fedrigotti and Andrea Kerbaker for believing in the idea of fostering a dialogue between books and musical scores.”

“Throughout history, literature and music have often journeyed side by side” added Francesco Micheli, longstanding supporter of Premio Bagutta and member of the Paganini Committee. “It is a promising sign that, in the centenary year of Premio Bagutta, this form of twinning is being created with the world’s leading violin competition.”

“Two prizes—the Bagutta and the Paganini—and two cities—Milan and Genoa—are today united by an artistic bond that retraces a significant historical thread” noted Andrea Kerbaker, Secretary General of Premio Bagutta. “That thread is represented by Eugenio Montale, the Premio Bagutta most illustrious juror: born in Genoa, Milanese by profession, an extraordinary poet and a passionate lover of music. Because in the cultural world, connections are never accidental”