Libres libres – Free Books returns this spring with one event per month, the series organized by Associazione Espaci Occitan in Dronero dedicated to publications related to the language and culture of the Alpine Occitan territory.

The first event, Friday, March 6 at 6 PM, will feature Bàrnabo d’es mountanhes – Bàrnabo of the Mountains, a translation into Bellino dialect of Dino Buzzati’s first work, created by the late Giovanni Bernard, Jeannot d’i Vielm. Barnabo, a young forest ranger, is Buzzati’s first character to deeply experience waiting, observing day after day the light that rises and fades on the mountains, knowing the very essence of waiting, in a narrative suspended between dream, nightmare, and reality. Presenting this edition, published by Fusta and extraordinary for its precious vocabulary and ability to capture the speech of one of the most distinctive localities of Castellata, will be Gianni Bernard, Jeannot’s nephew, and Tiziana Gallian, a valley enthusiast and poet herself.

Friday, April 10 at 6 PM will feature L’aizounenc. Ethnolinguistic Dictionary of the Occitan of Aisone by Andrea Celauro, Ed. dell’Orso. Published in 2025 but the result of over ten years of research and investigation, Celauro’s work is much more than a simple dictionary: it’s a journey through the linguistic and cultural soul of Aisone. The 9,000 terms are accompanied by a section on morphological description and especially an ethnographic part, created by the young anthropologist through field research to provide an integrated view of the language, its structure, and its deep connection with the daily life of the community that still speaks it today. The author will be in conversation with Rosella Pellerino.

Friday, May 15 at 6 PM will feature La danso dal farò. Poems “a nosto modo” by Giacomino Genti, known as Giacomino dal Ferie, a collection published by Fusta. As stated in the preface to the work, written by Diego Anghilante, Genti is “a genuine and spontaneous voice, despite being outside ‘literary civilization,’ but precisely for this reason faithfully reflects the society and culture of our valleys today.” Written in the Occitan variety of Rore in Val Varaita, the verses reflect a gentle soul that has managed to preserve and transmit, despite emigration to Nice, or perhaps precisely because of it, a deep attachment to his roots and his land. The author will be in conversation with Occitan scholar and writer Diego Anghilante and the editor of the work Piero Dematteis.

The activity is supported by the Piedmont Region.

The events will take place at Espaci Occitan, Via Val Maira 19 in Dronero; admission is free; for info tel. 0171.904075, segreteria@espaci-occitan.org, www.espaci-occitan.org, Fb @museooccitano, Ig @museo.occitano.