Its gentleness is disarming: the sixth edition of the Festival of Hospitality returns to Chieri.

The Festival of Hospitality

From September 11 to October 30, 2026, the Diocese of Turin will host the sixth edition of the Festival of Hospitality, organized by the Migrant Ministry of the Archdiocese of Turin and the Generazioni Migranti Association.

The Festival has always been a space for reflection, a place for dialogue and shared experiences, offering the public and the local community an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of what it means today to welcome others—not as an act of charitable hospitality, but as a choice to build community, justice, and brotherhood.

Through spiritual gatherings and moments of prayer, geopolitical analyses and cultural reflections, social experiences and firsthand accounts, the 2026 edition explores the various dimensions of human mobility. It does not shy away from the challenges or hide the wounds that come with it, but seeks above all to highlight the opportunities for renewal that arise from the encounter between cultures and the sharing of diversity.

The thread of reflection runs through several symbolic dates celebrated during the Festival: World Day of Migrants and Refugees (September 27), Day of Remembrance and Welcome (October 3), and World Mission Day (October 18). These will be opportunities to reaffirm that a more open, equitable, and inclusive world is possible if we build it together in hope and shared responsibility.

 

Festival Events in Chieri

EVENTS: Welcome Dinner with International Cooking Workshops

Sunday, September 20, 7:30 p.m., Piazza Umberto I – Chieri (TO)

Organized by ASCS and the “Progetto Accogliamo” initiative of the Chieri Cathedral Parish

A dinner rich in colors, people, and flavors from around the world. An evening of sharing and exchange—free and open to everyone.

The dinner will begin at 7:30 p.m.: an initial opportunity to share dishes from around the world.

There will also be an opportunity to help prepare the food, allowing you to experiment with new ingredients and recipes. Starting in the morning, dishes will be prepared in four kitchens in Chieri. Each kitchen will feature a different part of the world: by signing up, you can help prepare the food and learn how to cook new dishes!

TO REGISTER, CLICK HERE

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PERFORMANCE: The Mobile Century – The History of Migration in Europe as Seen from the Future

Sunday, October 4, 8:45 p.m. – 10:30 p.m., Livatino Auditorium at Liceo Monti – Via Montessori, 2 – Chieri (TO)

Organized by ASCS and the Vera Nocentini Cultural Association

Multimedia monologue by and starring Gabriele Del Grande which blends theater and journalism to trace a century of migration in Europe through images, testimonies, and storytelling. A journey that spans the 20th century and extends to the present day, recounting how the movement of people has helped shape the continent’s history and its social, cultural, and political transformations. Straddling memory and current events, the performance invites the audience to move beyond clichés and question the meaning of borders, mobility, and belonging. It offers an opportunity to reflect on a phenomenon that continues to shape our present and guide the challenges of the future.

Presented by Tommaso Panero, president of the Vera Nocentini Cultural Association.

TO REGISTER, CLICK HERE

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BOOKS: “Lampedusa, a Mediterranean History” by Dionigi Albera

Thursday, October 15, 8:30–10:30 p.m., Leo Chiosso Auditorium—Via della Conceria, 2—Chieri (TO)

In collaboration with Trame Impresa Sociale

Lampedusa, a name familiar to everyone that today epitomizes the tragedy of migration. A frontier between Europe and Africa, and a paradise for tourists, this island seems to have emerged on the international scene only in recent decades. Yet this remote strip of land off the coast of Sicily has an extraordinary and little-known past, one in which hospitality has been the common thread.

Featuring Dionigi Albera, anthropologist and author of the book. Introduction by Odilia Negro, president of Trame. Speakers include young people from the Lampedusa Project of the Diocesan Caritas of Cuneo-Fossano.

TO REGISTER, CLICK HERE

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PERFORMANCE: Gaza Lives

Friday, October 23, 9:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m., Leo Chiosso Auditorium – Via della Conceria, 2 – Chieri (TO)

Organized by ASCS

A performance by and starring Beppe Casales. Genocide does not happen by chance, and it is never an end in itself. What is happening today in Gaza has deep roots, intertwined with the lives of the people who live there.

“Gaza Lives” seeks, through the language of theater, to do what the Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer asked of his students: to tell stories of loss, survival, and hope. As an antidote to death. As a final act of resistance.

TO REGISTER, CLICK HERE

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WORKSHOPS: Stories on the Road. Storytime for children and a creative workshop on hospitality

Saturday, October 24, 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m., Francone Civic Library, Children’s Room – Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 1 – Chieri (TO)

Edited by ASCS and the N. Francone Civic Library of Chieri, under the patronage of the Municipality of Chieri

A morning of readings and workshops for families with children ages three and up, designed to help everyone discover together the beauty of connection and the richness of diversity, as part of the “Born to Read” program sponsored by the Chieri Public Library.

For more information, call 0119428400 or email [email protected]

TO REGISTER, CLICK HERE

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The Festival of Hospitality in Chieri is made possible thanks to a grant from the Municipality of Chieri as part of its funding for associations working on social policies, and thanks to a grant from the Piedmont Region — International Affairs and Cooperation Division — and the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation as part of the call for proposals titled “Global Citizenship Education for Sustainability and International Solidarity: Year 2025.”