On Saturday, July 11, starting at 5:30 PM, the historic center of Giulianello will light up with a new edition of the Pé Ì Ndó Festival, an event created to combine reflection on civil rights, local development, and great live music thanks to the synergy between the Municipality of Cori, the Altiero Spinelli Institute of Federalist Studies, Amnesty International, the European Federalist Youth, the European Federalist Movement, ASBUC Giulianello, and APS Polygonal. The festival, which over the course of its history has established itself as a cultural hub, hosting artists and intellectuals of the caliber of Giovanna Marini, Ascanio Celestini, and Eugenio Bennato, will open with the Amnesty International exhibition “How Were You Dressed?” – an exhibition that uses clothing to dismantle prejudices related to gender violence and promote a culture of consent – and the round table discussion “Between Stories of Struggle, Leadership, and Freedom,” a moment of reflection on the role and rights of women moderated by Lavinia Bianchi, Associate Professor of Communication Pedagogy and Intercultural Pedagogy at the Department of Educational Sciences at the University of Roma Tre.
Meanwhile, while the historic streets of the village will be filled with stands selling crafts and typical local products, the Pé Ì Ndó Kids space will allow children to rediscover the charm of traditional outdoor games, such as capture the flag and treasure hunts. This initiative represents the culmination of a comprehensive school curriculum of listening, participation, and active citizenship entitled “Giulianello, Tomorrow,” conducted in collaboration with the European project Val-You (Erasmus+) and aimed at promoting democratic values and youth leadership. The outdoor activities and games offered this day—such as capture the flag, treasure hunt, and the Giulianello relay—are therefore not simply entertainment, but the fruit of ideas and micro-events entirely co-designed by the first-year students of the Cesare Chiominto secondary school in Giulianello, who have reworked the needs of their local area to creatively enhance the local community.
The day’s highlight will be a grand concert by Rachele Andrioli & Coro a Coro: the renowned international world music artist will bring to the stage a remarkable, all-female polyphonic project, creating a captivating performance where ancestral rhythms and Mediterranean voices will merge, connecting Salento tradition with global sounds. Combining quality entertainment and activism, Pé Ì Ndó confirms its position as a key event in the Pontine summer, transforming the village into an open-air workshop that unites different generations in the spirit of community values, inclusion, and the beauty of creating culture together.
