After the successful opening in Havana, inaugurated by the Cuban Minister of Culture Abel Prieto, the splendid second Event of the 2008 travel of the XXIVth Nosside International Poetry Prize from Reggio Calabria (Italy) to the world has been the precious seat of the Italian Cultural Institute of Mexico City (an architectural jewel of’700 – period of Spanish colonization). The event has been hosted in the overflowed with the crowds Aula Magna of the institute. 

It has been “for first time” the prestigious and unique global poetry contest was presented on Mexican “land”.  A “first time” that was determined by two reasons: the appointment as Overall Winner of XXIIIth Nosside 2007 of the young Mexican Poet David Lecona Rodríguez; the fact – proudly underlined by the Institute’s Principal Dr. Davide Scalmani – that the poet became acquainted with Nosside and its Rules through the notice board of the Cultural Institute that he was attending as a student of Italian language.

    The ceremony has been perfectly organized and effectively promoted by the Institute, with the assistance of David Lecona Rodríguez – Ambassador of the Prize in the world from 2008. The Institute’s principal, Dr. Scalmani has introduced and sombrely leaded  the evening. There have been also present at the meeting: the Council, Dr. Carlo Campanile - representing the Italian Embassy in Mexico;  Dr. Felice Scauso, the poet David Lecona and the Founder President of the Prize - prof. Pasquale Amato.

   The President Amato, using maps and graphics, has briefly presented the results of Nosside 2007 and illustrated the confirmations and novelties of XXIVth Edition of Nosside 2008, specifying, as well, that applications are accepted from February 5  to the June 30. 

The essential lines of the Project have been confirmed, they are: 1- the preference for the unpublished works; 2 - the system of selection that guaranties a total impartiality of the International Jury; 3 – two strategic identities of the prize:  the opening up to all the languages of the world,  with five official ones (Italian, English, Spanish, Portuguese and French) as well as to all the forms of poetic expression (Written, Video or Musical Poetries); 4 - the website www.nosside.com; 5 – the public and private partners.

The novelties: 1 - the “Nosside 2008 travel from Reggio Calabria to the World” began in Havana. In practice, Nosside is going “to meet” poets, peoples, languages and cultures throughout Europe and America. The overall winners of past editions of the Prize, called Nosside Ambassadors, are engaged in the prize presentations that are going to take place on different stages of Nosside travel; 2 - the “International Lifetime Achievement Prizes are going to be awarded to personalities of great success that through their artistic career have  exalted  the strategic identities of the Project; 3 – the “Nosside 2008” Anthology - multilingual and multimedia (book+DVD) for the first time.

The prize giving ceremony  will take place in Reggio Calabria , November 28. It will be followed  by two other  Events  in Messina and Rome.

  A relevant  space has been subsequently given to the poetry, first of all, to  the Italian poet Fabrizio Lorusso, that has made a nice, intelligent and ironic speech on “being a poet in Mexico”. Then, he asked David Lecona about the origin of his poetic inspiration and particularly about the origin of the compositions he had presented at the Nosside Prize getting the highest appreciation.