Cine per la Terra – San Benedetto Belbo Stop

Cine per la Terra in San Benedetto Belbo

In the heart of the Alta Langa, in the Province of Cuneo and southern Piedmont, the small town of San Benedetto Belbo hosts one of the richest stops of the traveling Cine per la Terra festival. Conceived and organized by the Strada 661 La Pedaggera Association, the event is a caravan of documentary films and meetings traveling along the ancient Pedaggera road—the historic route that once connected the Langhe hills to the sea—to reflect on the food, landscape, and cultural potential of a territory rich in biodiversity. The current edition, titled "Barefoot in the Park – Feeling the Earth," is dedicated to the Belbo Springs Nature Reserve and runs from March to October across a dozen towns in the Alta Langa.

A Day of Rural Resistance

In San Benedetto Belbo, the Cine per la Terra stop coincides with the Rural Resistance Day, promoted in partnership with the La Rondine chiama festival and the Bôgiôn Cìt farm. It is not just a simple screening, but a full day alternating between cinema, books, agriculture, and conviviality. The common thread is the defense of sustainable farming practices, agroecology, and peasant culture, told through the voices of those who have chosen to live and work the land in an environmentally respectful way.

The Village of Beppe Fenoglio

San Benedetto Belbo is no ordinary place: it is the village immortalized in the pages of Beppe Fenoglio, particularly in the short story "Un giorno di fuoco," and it holds a deep connection to the literature of the Langhe. The La Rondine chiama festival, dedicated to the dialogue between literature and territories, was born from this cultural root. For this reason, the day in San Benedetto combines environmental awareness with a literary meeting where three authors discuss landscape, nature, and society.

Cinema, Books, and Local Flavors

The day's program intertwines multiple languages: the screening of a documentary dedicated to sustainable agriculture, the market of organic producers from the Piedmontese Ecorami network in Piazza Emilio Canonica—featuring vegetables, bread, cereals, fruit, herbs, wine, beer, and honey—and a lunch with tastings of local products. In the afternoon, there is space for testimonials from organizations such as the Italian Rural Association, the Movement for Happy Degrowth, and Slow Food. Admission to all events is free, in line with the festival's popular and educational spirit.