Michele Mari won the 2026 Strega Prize, Italy's most prestigious literary award, with his novel 'I Convitati di Pietra' (The Stone Guests) at a ceremony in which the votes were counted in Rome on Wednesday.
    The story of the rivalries and misfortunes of a group of high-school students who reunite for a dinner every year, Mari's 23rd book got 190 votes, ahead of Matteo Nucci's 'Platone - Una storia d'amore' (Plato - A Love Story) with 152.
    Third place at the 80th Strega prize went to Bianca Pitzorno's 'La Sonnambula' (The Sleepwalker) with 84 votes.
    The name Strega, which means 'witch' in Italian, refers to the prize's sponsors, producers of the famed yellow liqueur of the same name.

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