Sirmione Catullo Journalistic Award Highlights and Winners

The final act of the twentieth edition of the journalistic award «Catullo», scheduled for tonight in the piazzale of the port of Sirmione. The Castel Scaligero is in the background. The historic center has been closed off to cars and pedestrians starting at 8 pm until the conclusion of the show, which, as announced multiple times, will be recorded by Rai Uno and broadcast at 11 pm on September 18.

Winners and awards of the evening

Among the programs voted by the public jury (one hundred large electors), the winner was «Novecento», the popular Rai Tre program hosted by Pippo Baudo. It was followed by «Quelli che il calcio…» by Fabio Fazio (who has since moved to La7) and «L’elmo di Scipio», hosted by Enrico Deaglio.

Among foreign media outlets, the award went to «Der Tagesspiegel», whose director, the Italian Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who has been based in Germany for decades, will also be present to receive the prestigious journalistic award. Finally, this year a lifetime achievement award was introduced and given to Sergio Romano, political columnist for «Corriere della Sera» and «Panorama».

Show details and guests

The event is expected to last an hour and a half, but the show recorded for Rai Uno will inevitably be shortened for broadcast purposes. Still, the evening promises to be very engaging from a spectacle perspective. The event will be hosted by Paola Saluzzi, a well-known face of Rai, who has been brilliantly presenting «Uno mattina» for some time, alongside Bruno Vespa and, more subtly, Luciano De Crescenzo.

The choice of singers is also excellent: Al Bano, who will entertain the audience with his hits spanning over thirty years of career, and Alex Britti, a favorite of the new generations. There will also be a ballet segment. On the Sirmione stage, performances will be given by «Les Farfadais» and «Tango Passion», two excellent dance companies offering classic and Argentine tango pieces.

«Catullo» award and juries

The renewed «Catullo» award, transformed from a literary to a journalistic prize after some criticism, is nonetheless rewarding the gamble made by the municipal administration led by Maurizio Ferrari. Aside from the content, which is always open to debate with varying opinions, the event has certainly secured a prominent position in the cultural scene.

The promotional vehicle for tonight’s event (to be broadcast on Rai’s «main» network on Tuesday, the 18th) is undoubtedly extraordinary, perhaps even more so than the coverage of the Giro d’Italia. Anticipating a large audience, a giant screen will be set up in Piazza Carducci, or, in case of bad weather, at the Palacongressi.

There are two juries: one technical and the other for the television award. The first includes Carmen Lasorella, Antonio Caprarica, Antonio Foresi, and Corradino Mineo. The second jury is composed of Renzo Giacchieri (Superintendent of Arena di Verona), Mario Pasi (Corriere della Sera), Maurizio Cattaneo, Giambattista Lanzani, and Bruno Maffellotto, directors respectively of Bresciaoggi, Il Giornale di Brescia, and La Gazzetta di Mantova.