Lake Garda Poetry Award Honors Lydia Vallino Lussignoli at Castello di Soiano
Once again this year, as in previous editions, a book will be published to gather the best poems among hundreds dedicated to the lake and loved ones. Many participants from all provinces bordering Lake Garda, from Brescia to Verona, Mantua, and Trento, contributed, resulting in about four hundred poems, including one hundred and eighty by very young poets. The Jury’s work was excellent; it was composed of Pietro Lussignoli, husband of the late poetess, Velise Bonfante, soul of the Prize, Barbara Rizza, Rachele Comincini, Gabriella Minini, and Eugenio Farina, who had to select the winning poems from a shortlist of thirty finalists.
Award Ceremony at the Castello di Soiano
Once again, it is the Castello di Soiano that frames the award ceremony, which each year becomes an event with the participation of local restaurateurs and activities from the small town of Valtenesi.
Even artists connected to Soiano, Tancredi Muchetti and Edgardo Beccalossi, have left their mark through painting, donating works to the winners every year. All the children from the town and many schools in the area participate in the Prize, which has been commemorating the works by publishing a book for the past three years, serving as a keepsake.
Each year, the Prize keeps alive the memory of Lydia Vallino Lussignoli through the poetic expression of hundreds of poets and young promising talents of the future, a magical moment of gathering at the Castello di Soiano.
The organization is managed by the Pro Loco, Culture Commission, and Library of Soiano del Lago.
The Lydia Vallino Lussignoli Award
The award was established by Mr. Pietro Lussignoli to honor the memory of his wife Lydia Vallino, and to thank her once more. A gesture of love encapsulated in the magic of poetry, which was a great passion for Mrs. Lydia.
Her desire for expression developed over the years. It stemmed from a childhood marked by a delicate yet tragic verse, due to her mother’s death when Lydia was only 7 years old. After moving from Brescia to Piedmont, she began and completed her university studies.
Teaching was her first cultural commitment. A profession aligned with her frequent relocations across provinces, later enriched by marriage and the birth of two daughters.
After wandering from Sondrio to Brescia’s last assignments, she then decided to dedicate herself fully to her family, an event that sparked her poetic inspiration. An activity that emerged during her residence in Soiano del Lago.
Many recognitions have been attributed to Lydia Vallino Lussignoli ever since. Among the awards are:
- MOICA, 1987;
- Peace and European Union, 1989;
- Women Tell Their Stories, 1989-92-93;
- Mater, 1990;
- The Golden Chimera, 1991;
- Abruzzo Future, 1991;
- Fedor Dostoevsky, 1991;
- Ugo Foscolo, 1991;
- William Shakespeare, 1991;
- Michelangelo, 1991;
- Giovanni Gronchi, 1991;
- The Stars, 1992;
- Franco Bargagna, 1992;
- Corato, 1993;
- Christmas, 1990;
- Città di Savona, 1992;
- Calentano, 1994.
In 1987, she was chosen as the godmother for the inauguration of the monument to “All the Sailors of the World” in Portese on Lake Garda. The National President, director Enmo Wyler, and the ENAM Steering Committee established a special poetry award in her honor, reserved for poets under 18 years old, called: National Junior Prize “Lydia Vallino”.
Many of her poems are included in anthological volumes. In 1995, a collection of her works was published posthumously by “Edizioni Bresciane” with the title “Inside the Voices of the Heart”, reprinted in 1999 in the series “The Poets of Dipende”. She also wrote short stories for children, which will be collected in a volume to be published soon.
