The Peripheries Week kicks off: from North to South, an Italy that tells the story of its outskirts in a new way
From June 22 to 28, on the occasion of the National Day of Urban Peripheries, the Charlemagne Foundation brings the Peripheries Week to communities across Italy: sport, culture, community, and participation for a new narrative that places at its center communities and spaces capable of generating inclusion and social justice.
Peripheries are not the margins. They are a lens through which to read the inequalities and complexity of our cities — and it is from this conviction that the Peripheries Week was born: a national initiative promoted by the Charlemagne Foundation in collaboration with the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry on Peripheries.
From June 22 to 28, 2026, starting from Rome and reaching Cagliari, Lecce, Naples, Palermo, Turin, Milan, Genoa, and Pesaro, dozens of local organizations will bring life to squares, parks, and neighborhoods through sporting, cultural, and community events — free and open to everyone.
Why June 24
The Peripheries Week was created on the occasion of the National Day of Urban Peripheries, established by Law no. 170/2024 and set on June 24: a date chosen to honor the memory of what happened in Caivano in 2014, when little Fortuna Loffredo lost her life, and to transform that memory into a moment of recognition for civic energies, mutual aid networks, and collective care practices that change the face of marginalized areas every day.
The initiative builds on the legacy of Periferiacapitale, the program through which the Charlemagne Foundation has supported, for six years in Rome, more than 120 organizations including associations, neighborhood committees, social cooperatives, and volunteer groups. With the Peripheries Week, that model goes national: a platform of recognition and solidarity for communities that, day after day, fight against inequality in their territories — with the intention of radically transforming the way marginalized areas are portrayed: no longer as places of mere degradation, but as hubs of social innovation, opportunity, and participation.
“In our experience, the periphery is not the outside, not the margin. It is a lens through which to understand urban inequalities and social complexity. In 2025, we supported the institutionalization of the National Day of Urban Peripheries, which falls on June 24. With the Peripheries Week, we want to dismantle the stigma that too often strikes urban areas considered marginal — ignored by public discourse or depicted only through crime reporting, emergencies, or problems. Our experience shows that cities truly change only when local communities are recognized as active agents, when social bonds and shared spaces are strengthened. This initiative is not a ritual celebration, but a cultural instrument to give voice to those who exercise the right to the city and to the future, transforming peripheries into places of possibility.”
Stefania Mancini, President of the Charlemagne Foundation
“It will be a wonderful week ‘on the road’, up and down across Italy, starting from the capital — a chance to fully experience the spirit of this Day, which we have already seen grow exponentially in just one year, and which, thanks to a national legislative framework, transcends the episodic nature of one-off initiatives. There are so many events, from north to south, organized by municipalities, associations, parishes, and third-sector organizations for this occasion. Our presence on the ground is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the many grassroots associations that generate civic value in our society. It is also an institutional presence that has characterized the Commission from its very inception — through continuous field visits to territories to examine critical issues, but also to observe and learn about the positive and virtuous momentum that increasingly characterizes Italy’s peripheries, as this widespread initiative so clearly demonstrates.”
Hon. Alessandro Battilocchio, President of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry on Peripheries
Events on the Programme
With a programme of over 40 events, Rome is the beating heart of the Week. A packed calendar spanning every quadrant of the city: from the Maison APS photography exhibition in Prenestino to the regeneration of the Parchetto Ribelle in Alberone with Urbis Next Gen; from the inclusive bocce tournament organized by Associazione Il Melograno Rosso in Selva Candida to the presentation of the volume La Città Giusta at Centro Giano; to rafting on the Aniene river with Insieme per l’Aniene APS. The programme continues with open-air cinema in Casal Bruciato and Cinecittà, a film club organized by Lucha y Siesta at Quadraro, a basketball court makeover in Torrevecchia with Bronx Legendz, a mental health walk in Labaro-Prima Porta with Salviamo la Mente, the urban game “Pop Up The Game” by Open City Roma in the Tuscolano neighborhood, and the Pontedincontro community festival in Laurentino 38.
June 25 is one of the most action-packed days, featuring a self-build workshop by K_Alma in Testaccio, the presentation of the book Teoria della classe armata in Esquilino, a community dinner organized by Io Sono APS in Tor Marancia, a clean-up of Parco Labia in Fidene, and bio-walks on the free beach of Ostia Ponente with APS Sotto al Mare. The week closes between June 26 and 28 with a social animation evening in Cesano di Roma, the evening opening of the Biblioteca Sociale Passepartout in Podere Rosa, a treasure hunt by ASD Borgata Gordiani in Villa Gordiani, a sport and socializing day organized by Gruppo Sportivo Grottarossa, a theatrical performance by Spinaceto Cultura Teatro della Dodicesima, and a grand finale at the Idroscalo in Ostia with the In-Dipendenza Festival by MEDU and La Rada.
From Cagliari to Turin: a Network Across Italy
The Peripheries Week doesn’t stop at the capital. In Cagliari, on June 23, the Fondazione Domus de Luna brings theatre, music, and circus arts to Pirri. In Lecce, on June 24, the Fondazione Emmanuel opens the Centro di Prossimità Casa Comune in the Ferrovia neighborhood for a conversation on the centrality of the person. In Naples, between June 22 and 28, Scampia takes center stage with the rebirth of the Officina delle Culture Gelsomina Verde, the clean-up of the “vicoletto del riscatto,” a new bookshop in Secondigliano, and “Libera in Goal” — a football tournament in memory of Antonio Landieri, organized by Libera against the mafias alongside local neighborhood organizations.
In Sicily, Palermo hosts urban regeneration workshops in Borgo Vecchio, a morning of transfeminist collective care at Spazio Donna ZEN, and an entire week of games in Danisinni; while the inland municipalities of Aidone, Barrafranca, Pietraperzia, and Santa Caterina Villarmosa participate with “Radici di Futuro,” days of tree planting and care for the commons. In Milan, on June 24, an international delegation of young professionals will explore good community-making practices in Municipio 2 with Fondazione di Comunità Milano. In Pesaro, on June 26, the Fondazione Wanda Di Ferdinando will carry out “Mappe Future,” a territorial care action in Borgo Santa Maria. In Turin, on June 26, Fondazione di Comunità Porta Palazzo brings “Support Don’t Punish” to the Aurora neighborhood — a day of information and socializing on the rights of people who use substances. And across Genoa and Liguria, Defence for Children International Italia animates the entire week with RapLab, a rap music and storytelling workshop for young people in juvenile justice pathways, culminating in the final performance of the VivaUkulele music workshop on June 24.
Follow the Full Programme
The calendar is continuously updated: the complete and always up-to-date list of all events, city by city, is available at this link.
We look forward to seeing you in the neighborhoods, parks, and squares of Italy — come live the Week with us: because peripheries, told by those who inhabit them, are already the future of our cities.
Are you an association, local group, or social organization and would like to take part in the Peripheries Week? Fill in the form!
Peripheries Week — June 22–28, 2026, on the occasion of the National Day of Urban Peripheries (June 24). An initiative by the Charlemagne Foundation with the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry on Peripheries, under the patronage of the Chamber of Deputies.
