Ventotene European Conference for Freedom and Democracy

A civic festival on the island of the Manifesto

The Ventotene European Conference for Freedom and Democracy was established in 2025 to bring the values that birthed the European project back to the center of public debate, in the very place that guards its founding myth: the island of Ventotene, in the municipality of the same name in the province of Latina, Lazio. Here, during their fascist confinement, Altiero Spinelli, Ernesto Rossi, and Eugenio Colorni wrote the Ventotene Manifesto, the founding text of European federalism. Conceived and promoted by European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno, the Conference is organized by the European Parliament Liaison Office in Italy together with the European Commission Representation in Italy, in collaboration with the Municipality of Ventotene and the Lazio Region.

Who visits the island

For three days, the Pontine island hosts a rare intersection of worlds: institutional leaders such as European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, alongside iconic figures of the global fight for democracy. Guests from the first editions include: Yulia Navalnaya, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Ukrainian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk, Venezuelan Sakharov Prize winner Lorent Saleh, Afghan resistance leader Ahmad Massoud, former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom, as well as writers, historians, and journalists such as Paolo Giordano, Carmine Pinto, Maurizio Molinari, and Stefania Battistini.

A program of debates, art, and music

The format is that of a true festival of ideas: dozens of panels and public meetings on wars, authoritarianism, disinformation, European defense, and human rights, as well as exhibitions, screenings, and concerts. The cultural heart of the event is the exhibition "The Ventotene Manifesto and Europeanism in the Liberation Struggle" — featuring an original 1944 copy of the clandestine Manifesto and the correspondence between Colorni, Spinelli, and Rossi — and the Biennale of Dissent, an exhibition dedicated to artists who defend freedom of expression. The final evening features a large free concert in the square, open to islanders and visitors alike.

Youth at the center: Freedom Academy and Democracy Camp

The Conference dedicates ample space to new generations. The Democracy Camp brings together young people aged 18 to 30 from all over Europe to engage directly with dissidents and activists, while from 2026, the Freedom Academy offers a training path on European history, the rule of law, and resistance to autocracies, created with partners such as the Pietro Nenni Foundation and the Anti-Corruption Foundation.

Why attend

• A symbolic location: debates take place between Piazza Alcide De Gasperi, the Municipal Gardens, and the Belvedere Granili, just a stone's throw from the Roman port.
• Free access: all meetings and events are free and open to the public.
• International guests: a unique opportunity in Italy to hear Nobel laureates, Sakharov Prize winners, and protagonists of democratic opposition movements from half the world.
• September in Ventotene: the sea is still warm, the island is less crowded, and the intimate atmosphere makes the meetings particularly intense.

For the Lazio region and the province of Latina, the Conference has quickly become a defining event, capable of transforming the smallest inhabited island of the Pontine archipelago into the European capital of freedom.