Dario Ferrari wins Stresa Prize with a father-and-son novel
Dario Ferrari’s L’idiota di famiglia has won the fiftieth Stresa Narrative Prize. The novel follows a son’s difficult relationship with his father, who has dementia. Valeria Parrella and Gigi Riva tied for second, with Michela Marzano following them. The prize ceremony also recognised other writers, while an attendance rule excluded finalist Mattia Insolia.
Arts··Midday
A father and son at the centre of the winning novel
Italian novelist Dario Ferrari has won the fiftieth Stresa Narrative Prize with L’idiota di famiglia. Published by the Italian publisher Sellerio, the novel centres on a difficult relationship between a father with dementia and his son. Ferrari finished clearly ahead of the other contenders in the prize vote.[1], [2]
Valeria Parrella and Gigi Riva tied for second place with nineteen votes each. Parrella’s La ragazzina portrays Joan of Arc in her adolescent years. Riva’s C’era amore anche a Sarajevo draws on the author’s experience as a war correspondent during the siege of Sarajevo in the early 1990s. Michela Marzano followed them, two votes behind, with seventeen votes for Qualcosa che brilla, a novel addressing distress among young people.[1]
Attendance rule removes a finalist
Mattia Insolia, author of La Vita Giovane, was excluded because personal commitments kept him abroad. Stresa’s rules require finalists to attend the ceremony. Eight postal votes for Insolia had already arrived before his absence became known. Those votes were invalid, although the jury included them in the count it announced.[1]
Ferrari also received a special plaque from Piedmont’s regional culture department. The Gianfranco Lazzaro special plaque went to Sara Rattaro for Il vestito di mia madre. Jury plaques recognised Gian Piero Amandola for L’uomo del lunedì and Mario Casella for L’uragano di pietra. Luciana Pietraccini’s Sul filo di un attimo received the local publishing recognition.[1]
Stresa names the next ceremony venue
Stresa mayor Luca Gemelli said the next ceremony would take place at the Palazzina Liberty. Restoration of the building has finished, but furnishing is still needed. Gemelli also recalled Gianfranco Lazzaro, the prize’s first winner and later jury president, as one of the people who founded it.[1]
The prize was founded in 1976. After an interruption lasting several years, it resumed in 1995 under Stresa’s Pro Loco tourism association, which organises the event with the city’s support. The previous winner was Antonio Albanese, who received the prize in 2025 for La strada giovane. The finalist authors took part in public meetings in Stresa during the summer.[2]
