Sustainable Development Festival - Velletri 2030

Velletri for the 2030 Agenda

The Sustainable Development Festival is the largest Italian initiative dedicated to sustainability. Promoted annually by ASviS (Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development), it brings together hundreds of events across the country to spread the culture of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. In Velletri, a town in the Castelli Romani area within the Metropolitan City of Rome, the event has found a vibrant and participatory local expression since 2022, thanks to the Velletri 2030 Association, which organizes spring meetings, educational games, and conferences open to the entire community.

The Velletri 2030 Association

The organizational heart of the event is Velletri 2030, a cultural association born as a civic laboratory independent of political or religious affiliations. Presided over by Sandro Bologna, it brings together citizens who develop proposals for the city's future on topics such as smart cities, ecological transition, and scientific outreach, through initiatives like the «Paths of Science» seminar series. Participation in the national ASviS Festival is the most visible moment of this commitment: the 2026 edition marked the association's fifth consecutive participation, coinciding with the tenth national edition of the Festival.

Two days between the park and the conference hall

The Velletri format of the Festival typically spans two days. The first takes place outdoors in the Villa Ginnetti Park on Viale Bruno Buozzi, where middle school students take center stage with animations, games, and educational activities dedicated to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, such as the now-famous «treasure hunt» among wooden boards depicting the 2030 Agenda Goals. The second day takes the form of a conference, hosted in the «Renato Mastrostefano» conference hall of the Banca Popolare del Lazio on Via Martiri delle Fosse Ardeatine, featuring speakers, institutions, and presentations of projects created by the city's high schools.

The 2026 edition: music and science for the climate

The 2026 edition, scheduled for May 13th and 14th, focused on the theme «Music and Science in the Time of Climate Change», dedicated to Goal 13 of the 2030 Agenda (Climate Action). The conference featured speeches by Velletri Mayor Ascanio Cascella and Velletri 2030 President Sandro Bologna, alongside musicians and technologists Massimo Sepielli and Sandro Crocetta. Five local high schools — IISS Ascanio Landi, IISS Cesare Battisti, ITIS Giancarlo Vallauri, IPSSAR Ugo Tognazzi, and IISS Mancinelli e Falconi — presented their sustainability projects, which were awarded at the end of the morning.

An educational hub in the Castelli Romani

With the patronage of the Municipality of Velletri and the support of the Banca Popolare del Lazio, the Festival has become a small, permanent educational hub in the Castelli Romani territory and the Lazio Region. The direct involvement of schools — from middle schools to high schools, with achievements like the first prize won by the Liceo Landi — makes it a concrete opportunity for active citizenship, where young people share their insights on climate, pollution, circular economy, and social inclusion with their fellow citizens. All events are free to attend.