Farestoria Festival + Pistoia Docufilm Festival
Public history, documentary cinema, and narratives of the past in Pistoia
About Farestoria + Docufilm
Two festivals, one shared reflection on history
In the heart of Pistoia, Tuscany, the Farestoria Festival and the Pistoia Docufilm Festival have joined forces for a month of events dedicated to contemporary history and the ways in which it is told. Promoted by the Historical Institute of the Resistance and Contemporary Age in the Province of Pistoia (ISRPT), the two events form a single, comprehensive public history initiative: public meetings, screenings, interactive activities, workshops, and discussions open to everyone, all with free admission.
The 2026 theme: Narratives
The 2026 edition centers on the theme of Narratives: how the past is interpreted and recounted through different languages, from documentary film to comics, and from literature and theater to historical board games. It is a collective reflection on the relationship between public memory, archives, and audiovisual storytelling, bringing scholars, directors, and narrators to Pistoia to explore the many versions of history.
The Farestoria Festival
Now in its second year, the Farestoria Festival takes place from July 6 to 9, 2026, at the Polo culturale Puccini-Gatteschi, located in the Giardino Puccini-Gatteschi on Viale Petrocchi. The program features a mix of panel discussions, book presentations, and dialogues on history education, cultures of conflict, and colonial narratives. Announced guests include prominent figures in historiography and popular science, bridging the gap between scientific rigor and pop culture. As is tradition, the festival concludes with an evening of historical board games.
The Pistoia Docufilm Festival
In its sixth edition, the Pistoia Docufilm Festival brings non-fiction cinema outdoors to the Arena Cinema di Porta al Borgo, with three evenings of screenings accompanied by meetings with directors and historians. Memory, civic engagement, and human rights are the core themes of the selected films, fostering a constant dialogue between images and in-depth analysis.
A city committed to culture
Both festivals are part of the rich cultural calendar of the Municipality of Pistoia and, in 2026, are included in the Pistoia Italian Capital of Books program. Supported by the Fondazione Caript, the Ministry of Culture, and local organizations, they confirm Pistoia's role as a laboratory for memory and citizenship in Tuscany.
Farestoria + Docufilm โ edition 2026
The 2026 program opens with two preliminary days at the Lo Spazio bookstore (June 24 and July 2), dedicated to the perception of historical events and public memory.
The Farestoria Festival (July 6-9, Polo Puccini-Gatteschi) features panel discussions on history and comics, history education, and protest cultures. Announced guests include Wu Ming 4 (July 8) with a reflection on the political uses of Tolkien's work, alongside historians and communicators such as Alberto Banti, Giovanni Contini, and Ilaria Favretto. The closing event is dedicated to Il Novecento in gioco, an evening of historical board games with the Micco Ludens association.
The Pistoia Docufilm Festival (July 6, 13, and 20, Arena Cinema di Porta al Borgo) presents three documentaries, each followed by a debate with directors and historians.
Programme Farestoria + Docufilm 2026
Preliminary days โ Lo Spazio bookstore
- June 24 and July 2 โ Meetings on the perception of historical events and public memory
Farestoria Festival โ Polo culturale Puccini-Gatteschi (July 6-9)
- Opening: Greetings from the Mayor of Pistoia, Fondazione Caript, Unicoop, and the Italian Association of Public History; collective reflection What remains. Festivals, archives, and audiovisual history
- Panel discussions on history and comics, challenges in history education, and protest cultures
- July 8 โ Wu Ming 4 on the political uses of Tolkien's work
- Closing: Il Novecento in gioco, historical board games with Micco Ludens
Pistoia Docufilm Festival โ Arena Cinema di Porta al Borgo
- July 6 โ I diari di mio padre by Ado Hasanoviฤ (memory of Srebrenica)
- July 13 โ La dea di Pietra by Michelangelo Ricci (Vinca massacre)
- July 20 โ Paura Non Abbiamo (post-war women workers' struggles)
Each screening is followed by a meeting with the director and a historian.
Highlights Farestoria + Docufilm 2026
Prices Farestoria + Docufilm 2026
Practical information — Farestoria + Docufilm
Location
Polo culturale Puccini-Gatteschi, Viale Petrocchi 159, 51100 Pistoia (Farestoria Festival). Screenings for the Pistoia Docufilm Festival are held at the Arena Cinema di Porta al Borgo.
Getting there
Pistoia is well-connected by train (Florence-Lucca-Viareggio line) and by car via the A11 Firenze-Mare motorway, Pistoia exit. The city center is just a few minutes' walk from the station.
Admission
All events are free to attend.
Contact
Historical Institute of the Resistance of Pistoia, tel. +39 0573 359399, email [email protected].
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Where does it take place โ Farestoria + Docufilm
Polo culturale Puccini-Gatteschi
Viale Petrocchi 159, 51100 Pistoia