Rome has opened its annual international literature festival. Among the authors scheduled to read this year are Venetian Tiziano Scarpa and German Nobel Prize winner Herta Mueller. Tickets are free and visitors line up for hours to get one.

The event's popularity is good sign in a country where less than half of the population read a book last year. Italy is not known for its abundance of public libraries and books are generally expensive. The Italian Editors Association says Italy could do much more to promote reading among its citizens.

Author: Nancy Greenleese

Editor: Kate Bowen