News

On 26 April 2026, a group of walkers set off from the railway station of Pian di Venola along the Sentiero del Postino, guided by Wu Ming 2 and the community editorial team of the Nonturismo guide to the Terre del Reno, Setta and Sambro. Six kilometres and three reading stops - at the Church of Sperticano, the Ruins of Caprara di Sopra, and Il Poggiolo – Rifugio Re_Esistente - to discover the landscapes of the Emilian Apennines through the voices and life experience of those who chose to stay.

A new guide in the Nonturismo series invites readers and visitors to explore the valleys of the rivers Reno, Setta, and Sambro through the voices of the communities that inhabit them.
Two public events, on 22 and 26 April 2026, offer the chance to engage with the project in person, at the foot of Monte Sole, in the province of Bologna.

An immersive experience comes to life in pavilion 10/12 of the regenerated Osservanza
Knowledge and Innovation Park in Imola, exploring the history, voices, and places of the
local memory.

In 2025, six Italian municipalities won the European award NEB Boost for Small
Municipalities, dedicated to developing inclusive, sustainable, and beautiful projects for the built environment, restructuring, and adapting buildings and public spaces in municipalities with under 20,000 inhabitants. Two of the winning projects came from municipalities of Emilia-Romagna, in the province of Modena: Soliera and Campogalliano. We met the Mayor of Soliera, Caterina Bagni, and the Mayor of Campogalliano, Daniela Tebasti, along with Councillor Filippo Petacchi, and they shared their experience with us.

The Future Food Institute (FFI), an international ecosystem founded in Bologna with
deep local roots and a founding member of the NEB Local Chapter Emilia-Romagna,
organized a meeting on February 20th with a delegation of 10 Japanese professionals
at Scuderia Living Lab in Bologna.

The first edition of the FRANCO Festival took place on October 24th and 25th in the Apennine setting of Lama di Reno, in the province of Bologna (Emilia-Romagna). The event was organised by ART-ER in collaboration with Lo Stato dei Luoghi, Municipality of Bologna, BIS – Bologna Innovation Square, Muncipality of Marzabotto and Unione dell’Appennino. It was two intense days of talks, workshops, performances, and networking. The former paper mill became a laboratory for policies and practices on culture as a lever for urban transformation and social cohesion.

In October 14-15 we were in Brussels with other representatives of European NEB Chapters to promote and discuss the role of Chapters.