Angelo Mellone, a well-known journalist, writer, TV host and Director of Day Time Rai, has been serving as the Artistic Director of the UmbriaLibri Festival since 2022. The festival, returning to Terni from 9 to 11 February, is dedicated to the theme of love. Supported by AUR – Agenzia Umbria Ricerche and organized by Sviluppumbria spa, this cultural event of the Umbria Region is structured into several distinct events throughout the year. The festival acts as a meeting place for literature, theatre, art, politics and show, and is characterized by its unique blend of these diverse elements.
What is UmbriaLibri in terms of concept?
The UmbriaLibri event has been a publishing fair for many years, but since Mellone took over the artistic direction, there has been a conscious shift towards a cultural festival format. The event aims to create a dialogue between personalities with different creative aptitudes, especially in monothematic editions like Love. The UmbriaLibri format continues to evolve and enrich itself with each edition.
Let’s talk about UmbriaLibri Love.
UmbriaLibri Love celebrates love in all its forms and explores even the most harmful ones. The festival will feature authors, psychoanalysts, actors, music critics, journalists and entertainment personalities who will engage with the audience at the Municipal Library. The festival will also have a guest editor, an art exhibition and a connection with Sanremo through a listening group.
For UmbriaLibri he combines the creative attitude of an author and the organizational attitude of a Rai Director: which one prevails?
Mellone sees himself as a creative individual, but he also acknowledges the organizational skills of the Sviluppumbria team. The team helps translate his ideas into reality, ensuring that the event looks like a party from the outside, but runs smoothly on the inside.
What does UmbriaLibri bring to Rai and vice versa?
UmbriaLibri provides Mellone with an opportunity to learn more about the beautiful Umbria region and to meet new people. His work at Rai allows him to bring entertainment personalities to Umbria.
You are known for multitasking: do you have any other projects in the pipeline?
Aside from his work with UmbriaLibri and Rai, Mellone is also working on a theater piece based on his novel ‘No cross is missing’, which will be released in the autumn. He also plans to release a new book for Mondadori during the year.
Not long ago, some of your statements on Fiorello and Mara Venier gave rise to mixed reactions: the dust has settled, do you have anything to add or point out?
Mellone clarified that there was no polemical intention behind his statements about Fiorello and Mara Venier, and that he considers them to be great professionals.
