23th — 26th, September 2025
This year, our placemaking festival takes place in a city that is more than just a spot on the map—it is a true crossroads of history, values, and potential: Reggio Emilia. We chose this city because it perfectly embodies the spirit we want to celebrate: the creation of meaningful places, born of participation, memory, and a vision for the future.
Reggio Emilia is also, deeply, the city of the Resistance. For its crucial role during Italy’s War of Liberation, the city was awarded the Gold Medal for Military Valour for the Resistance on April 25, 1950. Walking its streets, you’ll find tangible traces of this legacy of the fight for freedom. There’s the Monument to the Resistance in Piazza Martiri del 7 Luglio, a bronze sculpture depicting the final moments of some victims of Nazi-Fascist violence. Nearby, next to the Municipal Theatre, stands a memorial wall listing the names of the local Resistance fighters.
Resistance here is not only history—it’s a living value expressed through places that tell stories of courage and justice. The partisan trails of the Reggio Apennines (sixteen in total) and the CAI 672 “Freedom Trail” along the River Enza let you explore beautiful landscapes while retracing the steps of the resistance. The memory of places like the Cervi brothers’ farmhouse, now a Museum and Agro-environmental Park, offers a powerful resource to address today’s challenges. Reggio Emilia shows us how places of memory can inspire fundamental values and strengthen the sense of community.
And speaking of community and the future, we must mention the Reggio Emilia Approach. This educational philosophy, born here after World War II, has become a worldwide reference. It is based on the idea of a strong, capable child, full of potential and rights, who learns through the “hundred languages” and grows in relationship with others.
The Loris Malaguzzi International Centre is the heart of this educational experience, where the approach is practiced, shared, and promoted globally. Choosing Reggio Emilia means recognising the value of investing in human potential and building communities that foster learning, creativity, and relationships—fundamental principles for placemaking as well.
As you walk through Reggio Emilia, you’ll be enchanted by its architecture and urban spaces. The historic centre has a distinct hexagonal layout, a legacy of its old city walls. You’ll see buildings dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. The squares are the heartbeat of the city. Piazza Prampolini, the old “Piazza Grande,” features the Cathedral, the Town Hall, and the Sala del Tricolore. Piazza San Prospero boasts a basilica, an octagonal bell tower, and marble lions. Piazza Martiri del 7 Luglio and Piazza della Vittoria host the splendid 19th-century Municipal Theatre. And Piazza Fontanesi, with its linden trees, comes alive with markets and evening events.
The Via Emilia, laid out 2,200 years ago by Consul Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, is considered the city’s “mother road.” Then there’s the Basilica della Ghiara, a baroque treasure filled with frescoes and altar pieces by 17th-century Emilian artists.
The city is an open-air museum of contemporary art created for specific places. Nature also plays a key role, with numerous parks and green areas, the Rodano, Crostolo, and Modolena rivers, and riverside parks inviting people to enjoy outdoor life. Reggio Emilia is also a bike-friendly city, with over 250 km of bike paths—perfect to explore on foot or on two wheels. And it’s the home of the inimitable erbazzone.
Reggio Emilia is a city of people, where everyone is welcome. It is a place committed to inclusion and accessibility, with institutions and spaces designed for people with disabilities and for social integration. It’s a city of dance and music, where Luciano Pavarotti made his debut, and where artists like Zucchero and Ligabue were born.
Yet, like any city looking toward the future, Reggio Emilia faces challenges. The city is rethinking how mobility, urban design, and social welfare can create a more connected, resilient, and inclusive urban ecosystem.
There is a need to balance the historic centre with the demands of an innovative district. This includes the challenge of adapting welfare systems to meet the changing nature of urban marginalisation. Urban health is also a concern, as access to social services, green and peaceful spaces, and healthy environments becomes limited for many.
Reggio Emilia is an open-air lab of history, resilience, educational innovation, and cultural and urban vitality. A place where past and present meet, where the community takes centre stage, and where placemaking has deep meaning. We couldn’t have chosen a better backdrop for Placemaking Week Europe 2025.
Reggio Emilia perfectly embodies the spirit we want to celebrate: the creation of meaningful places, born of participation, memory, and a vision for the future. The city stands as a dynamic intersection of history, innovation, and inclusivity.
