From 8 to 11 October 2026, Pavia and the Oltrepò Pavese host the Lombardy stop of IT.A.CÀ – Festival del Turismo Responsabile, Italy's first festival dedicated to slow, sustainable and mindful travel. Four days of walks along the Ticino river, exhibitions in the courtyards of the University, theatre, workshops, hill treks and a documentary on the Ticino Park, all linked by one theme: «Geographies of Peace», where places are read as spaces of encounter between people, communities and cultures.

All events are free and open to residents, families, students and visitors. Some excursions require registration by e-mail; contact details are given in the programme below.

IT.A.CÀ – Migranti e Viaggiatori was founded in Bologna in 2009 and is Italy's first festival devoted to responsible tourism. Over eighteen editions it has built a network of more than 700 local, national and international partners, and in 2018 it received an award from the UN World Tourism Organization for innovation in the sector. Its formula is that of a widespread festival: not a single stage but dozens of stops across Italy from June to October, where territories are discovered on foot, by listening to those who live there and by sharing experiences.

The Pavia stop began in 2018 and has included the Oltrepò Pavese since 2019. The 2026 edition is the eighth in a row, organised by the University of Pavia — through OSA, the Office for Sustainable Actions, and the Third Mission Service — together with the Municipality of Pavia, with contributions from associations, pro loco groups, local authorities and cultural organisations across the province.

The 2026 theme: «Geographies of Peace»

This year's national theme, «Geographies of Peace: moving across borders and cultures», becomes in Pavia an invitation to read the territory through the eyes of those who live there and those who pass through it for tourism, study or necessity. The programme follows three threads: the Ticino, a river to explore and protect; the Via Francigena, which tells the story of slow travel as a way of learning; and Pavia as a crossroads of people and cultures, with the University and its international students at the centre.

Exhibitions in the University courtyards (until 12 October)

The festival is preceded by three free exhibitions in the University courtyards, open until 12 October. «Pavia Globale» tells the stories of the University's international students through portraits; «Neverending Africa» is a photographic journey by the blogger Donna Vagabonda; «Stracci e disarmo» is a group show by the quiDOVE collective, bringing a reflection on peace and disarmament into the festival.

Thursday 8 October: accessibility and the Ticino

The festival opens at 3 pm from Piazzale Ghinaglia with an eco-philosophical walk along the Ticino, dedicated to biodiversity and invasive alien species as part of the GuardIAS project. At 4 pm, in Aula Volta, the inaugural meeting presents STAI2 – Accessible and Inclusive Tourism in the provinces of Pavia and Sondrio, the project working to remove barriers in the University's historic buildings and improve access to the Voghera–Varzi Greenway.

Friday 9 October: theatre, migration and workshops

In the morning, at 11 am at the Teatro Cesare Volta, the Forum Theatre on the Ticino engages secondary-school students on the relationship between communities and the river ecosystem. At 3.30 pm in Aula Scarpa, the workshop «Local chronicles, global inequalities» looks at how migration is reported in local news. At 5.30 pm the Museum of Archaeology hosts «The art of meeting the other. The Greeks and the geography of trust». The day closes at 7 pm in the Church of San Marino with a historical aperitivo and textile art workshop dedicated to the city's landmark places.

Saturday 10 October: the Naviglio and improvised theatre

At 2.30 pm a walk along the Naviglio Pavese leaves from the Ponte Coperto and reaches the Fortunati stadium area. In the afternoon the festival moves to San Pietro in Verzolo and the Pavia Est library. At 9 pm, in the Aula del '400, the improvised theatre show «Geographies of Peace» by Improvvisamente Pavia turns the audience's words into stories of travel and encounter.

Sunday 11 October: the festival across the province

This is the day the festival opens up to the whole province.

The day begins at 9 am in Rivanazzano Terme with «The hills of Rivanazzano and the Greenway», an 8-kilometre excursion led by Legambiente Pavia «Il Barcè»: olive groves, vineyards, the historic centres of Rivanazzano and Retorbido with their spa tradition, and a stretch of the Voghera–Varzi Greenway, the cycling and walking path built on the old railway line. Suitable for everyone; registration at luigitito.marinoni@unipv.it.

At 10 am, from the Passo del Carmine in Colli Verdi, «On the paths of memory» sets off: a loop trek through nature, the Resistance and the Italian Constitution in the upper Oltrepò, organised by the A.N.P.I. Luchino «Maino» Dal Verme section. The route passes the sites of partisan actions and will become a permanent trail with twelve panels devoted to the principles of the Constitution. Minimum age 14; registration at anpi.colliverdi@gmail.com.

At 10.30 am at the Auditorium di San Tommaso in Pavia, «Crossing borders» closes the city programme with the screening of the documentary Tutto l'oro che c'è by Andrea Caccia, on the relationship between people, nature and landscape in the Ticino Park, followed by a toast. Free entry.

At 2 pm, from Via Venezia to the Confluente, «The Ticino: ecosystem and sustainability» offers an ecological walk along the riverbanks with litter collection, organised by the University of Pavia with Plastic Free. Free entry.

At 3 pm the Tenuta Bertulini in Ponte Nizza, listed among the FAI Luoghi del Cuore, hosts «Meditative landscape»: thirty minutes of silent contemplation of the Oltrepò landscape from a panoramic viewpoint, with no explanations, no phones and no digital devices. Maximum 15 participants; registration at bertulini@iol.it.

At 6 pm, in Piazza Castello in Romagnese, the talk «Romagnese there and back: a journey between crumbs of brüsadela and sips of mate» tells the story of twentieth-century migration between the upper Tidone valley and the Americas and the culinary crossovers it produced, with contributions from Slow Food Oltrepò and Italea. The event is part of the 30th Sagra della Brusadela, a nationally recognised Sagra di Qualità, and ends with a tasting of local products. Free entry.

Further events are planned in Marcignago. The full programme is published by the University of Pavia.

The festival does not bring slow tourism to Pavia: it finds it already there. The province is crossed by the Via Francigena, which enters the city over the Ponte Coperto, and by the Ticino Park, Europe's first protected river park, whose banks can be explored on foot, by bike or by canoe. South of the Po, the Oltrepò Pavese offers vineyard-covered hills, spa towns such as Rivanazzano Terme and Salice Terme, and the Voghera–Varzi Greenway, a cycling and walking path on the old railway bed that the STAI2 project is making accessible to all.

In this setting responsible tourism is not a label but a daily practice: staying in a farmhouse, eating short-supply-chain products — from Oltrepò Pinot Noir to Lomellina rice and the brüsadela of Romagnese — moving slowly and meeting the communities that look after these places. IT.A.CÀ 2026 is a chance to discover all of this in four days, guided by the people who live and study the territory.

When: from Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 October 2026; the exhibitions in the University courtyards remain open until 12 October.

Where: Pavia (University, Teatro Cesare Volta, Museum of Archaeology, Church of San Marino, Aula del '400, Auditorium San Tommaso, the banks of the Ticino) and the Oltrepò Pavese (Rivanazzano Terme, Colli Verdi, Ponte Nizza, Romagnese).

Cost: all events are free.

Registration: the Sunday 11 October excursions in Rivanazzano, Colli Verdi and Ponte Nizza require booking by e-mail at the addresses given in the programme; the «Meditative landscape» is limited to 15 participants.

Getting there: Pavia is 35 minutes by train from Milano Centrale and 25 from Milano Rogoredo; the station is a ten-minute walk from the University. For the Oltrepò, Voghera is connected by train to Pavia and Milan; from there the Voghera–Varzi Greenway can be cycled to Rivanazzano. For Colli Verdi, Ponte Nizza and Romagnese a car is recommended, ideally shared.

Tips for a responsible weekend: choose accommodation in the centre of Pavia or a farmhouse in the Oltrepò, walk or cycle to the city events and bring a reusable bottle for the walks along the Ticino.

What is the IT.A.CÀ Responsible Tourism Festival? It is Italy's first festival dedicated to responsible tourism, founded in Bologna in 2009. It takes place as a widespread festival in dozens of stops across Italy from June to October, with walks, talks, exhibitions and performances that invite visitors to discover territories together with the communities that live there.

When does IT.A.CÀ take place in Pavia in 2026? From 8 to 11 October 2026, with three exhibitions in the University courtyards open until 12 October.

What is the theme of the 2026 edition? «Geographies of Peace: moving across borders and cultures». In Pavia the theme follows three threads: the Ticino, the Via Francigena and the city as a crossroads of people and cultures.

Are the events ticketed? No, all events are free. Some excursions require registration by e-mail.

Which events take place in the Oltrepò Pavese? All on Sunday 11 October: the excursion through the hills of Rivanazzano Terme and the Voghera–Varzi Greenway (9 am), the memory trek from the Passo del Carmine in Colli Verdi (10 am), the «Meditative landscape» at the Tenuta Bertulini in Ponte Nizza (3 pm) and the talk «Romagnese there and back» in Piazza Castello, Romagnese (6 pm).

Who organises the Pavia stop? The University of Pavia, through OSA – Office for Sustainable Actions and the Third Mission Service, together with the Municipality of Pavia, in collaboration with local authorities, associations and cultural organisations of the territory.

Is the festival suitable for families? Yes. The walks along the Ticino, the Naviglio walk and the documentary screening are designed for everyone; the Colli Verdi trek has a minimum age of 14.

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