Maria Attanasio debuts 'La rosa inversa' at Custonaci literary festival

The eighth edition of the "Un borgo di libri ed autori" literary series was held at the Grotta Mangiapane in Custonaci, Sicily, on 30 July. Organized by the Centro Studi Dino Grammatico with the Associazione Culturale Museo Vivente and curated by Valentina Pipitone, the free‑entry event featured poet‑novelist Maria Attanasio, a native of Caltagirone, presenting her novel La rosa inversa (Sellerio). The work, shortlisted for the Premio Strega 2026 after being proposed by Ottavia Piccolo, opens in the early 1900s with a secret room in a noble house that reveals Enlightenment classics, Masonic symbols and the autobiography of baron Ruggero Henares, then moves to the eighteenth century, touching on Giuseppe Balsamo (Cagliostro), the Jesuit expulsion from Sicily, and revolutionary ideas of equality and freedom. The festival was supported by the regional Assessorato dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana and the municipality of Custonaci.