Festival of Legality (3rd edition) — Everyone in the Square

A Civic Festival in the Heart of the Bassa Reggiana

The Festival of Legality in Brescello, a small municipality in the Province of Reggio Emilia in Emilia-Romagna, known worldwide as the town of Don Camillo and Peppone, returns in 2026 with its third edition, titled "Everyone in the Square". The event, scheduled from May 27 to 29, 2026, transforms the town's squares and public spaces into a large open-air civic education laboratory, where reflection on legality becomes a shared experience.

Organizers

The festival is promoted by the Daccapo APS Association, a cultural and recreational entity in the area, together with the Brescello Municipal Administration led by Mayor Carlo Fiumicino, with the collaboration of the Joint Commission for Legality. The stated goal is to send a clear and unequivocal message of opposition to organized crime, starting with young people.

Students as Protagonists

The beating heart of the event are the boys and girls from the schools of the Bassa Reggiana: about five hundred students come to Brescello, many of them by train, to participate in meetings with civil and military authorities, magistrates, and witnesses of civil commitment. The mornings are dedicated to dialogue with schools, while the evening events are open to all citizens.

Meetings and Guests

The 2026 edition saw the participation of authoritative voices from the world of justice and information:

• Catello Maresca, a magistrate, met students at the primary school in Via Roma to present his book "Il Genio di Falcone. Prima il dovere" (The Genius of Falcone. Duty First), addressing current issues with the young people such as social media use, bullying, and the role models presented by influencers and rappers.
• Marco Valerio Verni, a lawyer, spoke in Piazza Matteotti with an evening event open to the public, dedicated to personal testimony and the issue of substance abuse among young people, in dialogue with journalist Alessandra Codeluppi.

An Event for the Entire Community

Through debates, workshops, and discussion sessions, the Brescello Festival of Legality combines the school dimension with the civic one, focusing on the values of justice, responsibility, and memory. The evening events in the square are free admission and represent an opportunity for the entire Reggio Emilia community to reflect together on legality and active citizenship.