Capri and Pozzuoli Reach the Final of Italy's 2028 Contemporary Art Capital Competition

Capri and Pozzuoli are among the four finalists for Capitale italiana dell'Arte contemporanea 2028. They reached the final round alongside Padova and the Civita di Bagnoregio-Bolsena ticket.

The winning city is expected to be proclaimed by 30 October and receive 1 million euros for the activities and interventions in its candidacy dossier. The official programme defines the grant as 1 million euros for creating and redeveloping areas and spaces intended for contemporary-art use.

Pozzuoli is competing with "La citta delle fragilita creative". The proposal uses the city's historical relationship with bradyseism and vulnerability as a basis for cultural and urban regeneration.

Capri is competing with "Le sirene del nuovo". The proposal uses the island's siren mythology to address contemporary themes including desire, image, consumption, tourism and artificial intelligence.

Pozzuoli's project was devised by Paolo Lubrano, with artistic direction by Francesco Cascino, participation by director Luigi Pingitore and a scientific committee chaired by Pierpaolo Forte.

What the prize would fund

For readers following the two Campania bids, the practical point is what the 1 million euros covers. According to the programme framework, it is assigned to the winning dossier for creating and redeveloping spaces for contemporary-art use, as well as the related activities and interventions. In other words, the competition concerns places and projects for contemporary art, not only a calendar of events.

How the 2028 edition fits in the programme

The contemporary-art capital initiative is a recurring national programme. The official site lists Gibellina as the 2026 titleholder and Alba as the 2027 titleholder. Applications for the 2028 edition had to be submitted by 15 June 2026.

Which finalist ultimately won the 2028 title is not established in the sources available for this article, and the full candidacy dossiers, implementation schedules and complete lists of partner institutions for Capri and Pozzuoli were not published in the material reviewed.