Over 1,200 people took part in “Roots: Discovering What Unites Us” (1–3
May 2026), the May Day event in Loppiano.
Those travelling from furthest afield, with rucksacks or suitcases, began arriving as early as the evening before. They came from Germany, Austria, Albania, Spain, Belgium, Croatia, Slovakia and France. The Italians, on the other hand, reached the international centre of the Focolare Movement from the early hours of Labour Day morning.
Stories of life, intercultural dialogue, art and participation characterised this festival of fraternity, now in its 54th edition, which clearly and courageously expressed the desire of the younger generations to build a world of peace: a commitment that arises from the personal actions of each individual but is only fully realised through a shared journey.
The 2026 edition was a growing event, attracting the interest of a growing number of participants (+20% compared to the last three years). With executive production and artistic direction by COESIONI, which has enhanced the intercultural network of around 120 people, including professionals and artists, volunteers and friends of the Loppiano community, who have helped to make this festival of fraternity an unforgettable event for all participants.
Discovering what unites us
The moment of reflection and provocation that opened the morning of 1 May was conveyed through various artistic forms: words, music, dance and storytelling. “Discovering our roots does not mean standing still but looking within ourselves to understand where we come from and where we can go. Even though we come from different backgrounds, we all have roots. And it is precisely there that we can recognise ourselves,” said Matilde, 21, and Marco, 20, from the stage. There were also many concrete testimonies: because what is said is the fruit of experience, of real life lived. Like Maddalena, from Ventimiglia, who has been involved since her teenage years in welcoming migrants trying to cross the border with France. Thanks to a project with the local council, her family was able to take in a young man from Cameroon who today: “is my—our—brother in every sense (which is very different from being ‘like a brother’). Our stories were different, our roots too. But when we get to know them and share them, we are no longer afraid to open up to one another.”
Dorotea, from Albania, took part in the MED25 Bel Espoir educational project, the training ship promoting peace, fraternity, tolerance, solidarity and integral human development which, in 2025, crossed the Mediterranean. Around 200 young people of different nationalities, religions, cultures and customs lived together on board the sailing ship in rotating groups. “What is peace? – asks Dorotea from the stage – Peace is not something we find but something we become. It begins in the smallest places, in the simplest gestures, in the most immediate forms of respect. It begins wherever we choose to see one another not as categories but as people, humanity which is deserving of dignity and care.”
At 12:00, everyone was invited to take part in the International Expo of Fraternity, set up on the little town’s lawns. A meeting space where over 30 organisations engaged participants in dances, games, shared passions and traditional rituals. A small, reconstructed world where diversity became an opportunity for mutual understanding, giving life to a sketch of a united human family, capable of recognising one another without fear.
Alongside the Expo, the Italian Sports Centre had set up the “CSI in Tour” sports village, offering young people and families the opportunity to experience, through volleyball, football, basketball and other sports, sport as a universal language of inclusion, connection and encounter, accessible to all.
At 4.00 pm, in Hall A of the Auditorium, the musical theatre piece “Ciò che ci unisce” (what unites us) was performed. A train journey, three strangers and “what could happen to any of us every day”, when we give in to fear, prejudice or indifference. But “if we learn to look beneath the surface, we can stop being strangers and start seeing each other as human beings who truly meet”. The show was produced by an intergenerational creative theatre writing workshop involving young Italian and international artists, with technical support from F.G.B. service, the contribution of the dancers from the Dancelab Armonia Cultural Association, and the participation of the AsOne band, Sophiz, Kyara, Samuele Vannacci and the Loppiano youth choir.
Putting down roots
15 workshops in which the 400 young people present on 2 May were able to explore themselves, to get to know themselves and others better. From body percussion to singing with Gen Verde; from a visit to the International Exhibition of Musical Instruments in Loppiano, with a session of ensemble music-making, to the art of Chinese calligraphy and comic art; from a sensory workshop in nature to writing a newspaper article with two young editors from the magazine Città Nuova; from workshops on psychological introspection led by lecturers from the Sophia University Institute to those on economics for the integral development of the human person, held by representatives of the Economy of Francesco, Economia Disarmata and with the participation of volunteers from Emergency.
In the evening, the concert took place before a packed auditorium, featuring the emerging talents of Kyara and Sophiz, the youth band of AsOne. The stage also showcased the artistic contributions from the modern dance, dance theatre, body percussion and singing workshops held throughout the day.
Sunday 3 May, to conclude this edition of the festival of fraternity dedicated to the theme of cultural and family roots and the proposal to spread the culture of encounter everywhere, there was the symbolic planting of an olive tree. A gesture to gather and preserve the deepest meaning of “Roots – Discovering what unites us”. “A concrete act that sinks the message we have shared into the earth,” explain Matilde and Marco. To build a future, peace and fraternity, we must rediscover our common roots.
That is why today we are planting an olive tree. It is a sign of peace, an image of faithfulness that endures over time, a symbol of a life that grows slowly but strongly, that weathered difficult seasons and continues to bear fruit. This is how we want the fraternity we have experienced here to be too.” At the foot of the tree is a plaque to commemorate this commitment: “Be a living space, where every story can take root”.
This edition of the Festival of Fraternity was organised with the support of: APS Amici di Santa, Associazione Amici del Valdarno – Islamic Community, Centro Sportivo Italiano, Città Nuova Editrice, Coesioni, Economia Disarmata, Economy of Francesco, F.G.B. service, Gen Rosso, Gen Verde, Istituto Universitario Sophia, Movimento Laudato Si’, Nuovi Orizzonti, Continuing Education & Support Centre, FIAT Centre, Lionello Bonfanti Centre.
Loppiano’s May Day 2026 forms part of the programme for the United World Week 2026, entitled “Choose to dialogue”, and was co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Youth Programme.