LEF Festival – Pedagogy Festival

A festival dedicated to education in the heart of Valdelsa

The LEF Festival – Pedagogy Festival is one of the most original cultural events in the municipality of Poggibonsi, located in the province of Siena, in the heart of the Tuscan Valdelsa. The acronym LEF recalls the three founding values of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, embodying the spirit of an event entirely built around themes of education, personal growth, and intergenerational dialogue. Promoted by the Fondazione Elsa Culture Comuni and the Municipality of Poggibonsi through the Department of Educational Policies, the festival is aimed at young people, parents, and all professionals working in the fields of school and education.

A programme spread across libraries, theatres, and squares

The festival features around twenty events distributed over an entire month, enlivening the city's most significant venues: the Pieraccini Municipal Library, the Politeama Theatre, the Palazzo Accabì, the Bellavista Gardens, the Falcone-Borsellino Park, and the city squares. The programme alternates between book presentations, theatrical performances, animated readings for children, writing workshops, film screenings, and discussions on themes such as adolescence, legality, and peace.

Guests and meetings

Each edition brings nationally renowned writers, pedagogues, and speakers to Poggibonsi. Recent guests include teacher and author Enrico Galiano, historian Bruno Maida, Tuscan writers like Leonardo Gori and Marco Vichi, as well as screenings such as the documentary Leoni, dedicated to local football. The festival places great emphasis on younger audiences with quiet readings, outdoor games, the Bibliobus, and initiatives like the 'legality trek'.

The "Building" theme

The 2025 and 2026 editions have chosen the word Building as their guiding thread: an invitation to construct positive relationships, community networks, and perspectives for a shared future, in stark contrast to the conflicts affecting the contemporary world. This theme runs through all the events, from the thematic shelves set up in the library to the theatrical performances created with local schools.

An event for the community

The LEF Festival is much more than just a cultural event: it is a shared educational project involving local associations, schools, and institutions, including the Nausika association, the Poggibonsi Youth Forum, ANPI, and Libera. Many events are free to attend, while some performances require a ticket. The event confirms Poggibonsi's vocation as a vibrant cultural centre in Tuscany and a reference point for pedagogy in the Valdelsa area.