Festival of the Third Youth – Cerreto d'Esi stage

A widespread festival for the third youth

The Festival of the Third Youth is a travelling event that, between May 23 and July 22, 2026, crosses the mountain hinterland municipalities of the Province of Ancona, united in the Social Territorial Area 10: Fabriano, Sassoferrato, Genga, Serra San Quirico, and Cerreto d'Esi. The idea behind the festival is both simple and ambitious: to transform aging from a health problem into a resource for the entire community, focusing on relationships, mutual care, and the joy of being together.

The Cerreto d'Esi stage

The village of Cerreto d'Esi, overlooking the Esino valley in the heart of the Marche region, hosts its stage on Saturday, June 20, 2026, starting at 3:30 PM, in the charming historic centre. For one afternoon, the squares and streets of the town become a meeting place between generations, with entertainment, music, and convivial moments aimed primarily at the elderly but open to all citizens. The Cerreto d'Esi event is part of the festival's widespread calendar, which takes on different forms in each municipality depending on the associations and volunteers involved.

The Pact for the Well-being of the Elderly

The festival is rooted in the Pact for the Well-being of the Elderly 2026-2028, a three-year operational plan signed by the five hinterland municipalities along with the Marche Region and the Ancona AST (Local Health Authority). The Pact was developed based on research conducted with Coralab, a spin-off of the University of Urbino, and aims to create a capillary network of services and relationships to combat social isolation. The festival represents its most visible and festive face: not just conferences and services, but widespread opportunities for celebration throughout the territory.

The other stages of the festival

The overall program begins in Fabriano on May 23 with a grand day at the Giardini del Poio, featuring urban trekking, dialect theatre performances, talks on healthy eating, live music, and creative workshops. This is followed by the Sassoferrato stage on June 14 at Rocca Albornoz, organized with the Municipality of Genga, weekly events in Serra San Quirico, and, of course, the Cerreto d'Esi stage on June 20.

A community initiative

Promoted by the Social Territorial Area 10 and the participating municipalities, with the support of numerous Third Sector associations committed to the elderly, the Festival of the Third Youth is an event with a strong social focus and is free of charge. In Cerreto d'Esi, it represents an opportunity to experience the historic centre in a new way, rediscovering the value of neighbourly relationships that have always characterized the villages of the Marche.