The 2025 Festival of Europe & Villa Salviati Open Day
The Festival of Europe will be held in Florence from Thursday, May 8 until Saturday, May 10. It coincides with the date of the Schumann Declaration (May 9, 1950) by the French foreign minister, that proposed economic collaboration among several European nations, ultimately leading the establishment of today’s European Union (EU) .
Click here to see the full timeline of festival events.
The Festival of Europe aims to celebrate the mission of the Erasmus+ Programme, which is designed to support education, training, youth and sports within the EU. Another mission is to spread the values of the European Union, and its impact on building European citizenship. The European University Institute (EUI), headquartered in Fiesole and Florence, participates in Eramus+.
This year, the Festival of Europe will be hosted in Florence’s Piazza della Repubblica, where events will take place every day from 9 am until 5:30 pm. Villa Salviati, one of several villas making up the campus of the EUI, is having an open day on Saturday, May 10 from 10 am to 6:30 pm.
In piazza della Repubblica, each day will feature artistic performances, games, a photo booth in addition to concerts by an ensemble of students of various conservatories. There will also be workshops and stories about key figures of the Erasmus+ programme, as well as an information point hosted by Erasmus+ National Agency staff, providing insight into the Programme’s opportunities. The Festival is in collaboration with the University of Florence and the USR Toscana, and will celebrate the Programme’s important milestones: the 20th anniversary of eTwinning, 10 years of EPALE, and 100 years of INDIRE.
An interactive section entitled ‘Pensieri Erasmus, l’Europa che vorrei’ will offer visitors the opportunity to write a ‘wish for Europe,’ which will be collated and displayed on May 10.
Also on Saturday, the open day aims to celebrate the architectural and natural heritage of Villa Salviati and will offer a rich programme of cultural and recreational activities for all ages. There will be circus performances from tightrope walker Carlotta Risitano and from Laura Baldini, ‘Magic Farmer.’
Admission is free to the Villa’s grottoes, gardens, chapel, and modern archive library.
Villa Salviati is also a site dedicated to safeguarding the history and memory of the EU, and during Saturday’s free guided tours, visitors will also be able to see the Archivi Storici dell’Unione Europea (ASUE, or EU archives).
These EU archives have facilitated research on the history of the European Union, promoted public interest in European integration, and improved the transparency of EU institutions. The ASUE additionally offer educational programmes designed and tailored for students of all ages.
The archival footage available is enhanced by a selection of materials from Lisbon’s Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, the event’s partner, as well as contemporary artworks curated by Perdita Mappae Mundi.
Visitors can also enjoy musical performances from Genius Loci Perfomance and the Fiesole Music School’s Orchestra dei Piccolissimi Musici. The day will end with a classical concert from the Leopold Orchestra.
To reach the Villa, one can take Bus 25 from piazza San Marco and get off at the Il Cionfo 01 stop.
If arriving on foot, enter through the gates located at via Bolognese 156 and via Faentina 261. Parking is available at Salviati FS train stop on via Faentina. Visitors with a contrassegno disabili (a disabled sticker or document) can access through via Salviati 3b. (Keziah McCann)
