17th National Festival of Italy's Most Beautiful Villages
Bellano (LC), September 26-28, 2025
From September 26 to 28, 2025, Bellano, overlooking Lake Como, will host the 17th edition of the National Festival of Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages, the main event of the Association that celebrates the beauty, culture, and traditions of small Italian villages every year.
For three days, the village on Lake Como will become a stage for meetings, debates, show cooking, tastings, shows, and cultural initiatives. The program will focus on crucial issues such as sustainability, innovation, the promotion of local products, quality of life, and strategies for repopulating villages.
The Festival will kick off on Friday, September 26, with a conference dedicated to culinary excellence and an evocative inaugural cruise on Lake Como aboard the historic motorboat Concordia.
Saturday, September 27 will be the turn of the parade of mayors and delegates, followed by a day packed with events: markets and food and wine stands, show cooking with chefs from all over Italy, discussions on renewable energy, tourism, and artificial intelligence, as well as folk performances and evening entertainment.
On Sunday, September 28, after the hike along the Sentiero del Viandante trail to Corenno Plinio, there will be conferences on “La Restanza” and emotional tourism, tastings, and the latest cultural activities.
The closing ceremony will see the flag handed over to the town that will host the 2026 edition, followed by a spectacular fireworks display over Lake Como.
Over 200 municipalities and around 400 delegates from all over Italy are expected to attend, along with thousands of visitors who will have the opportunity to discover the cultural, artistic, and culinary excellence of our country’s most beautiful villages. The Festival, sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism and supported by the Lombardy Region, is not only a great promotional showcase, but also a laboratory of ideas and best practices for the future of small Italian towns.
