A day spanning politics, economics, infrastructure, the war in Ukraine, education, energy, artificial intelligence, faith and integration. The closing stretch of the 2026 Rimini Meeting is entering full swing, with Tuesday 25 August offering an especially packed schedule at the fairgrounds, featuring events from late morning until night and the participation of several government and institutional figures. Among the names expected are Matteo Salvini, Adolfo Urso, Giuseppe Valditara, Paolo Zangrillo and Andrea Abodi, along with regional presidents Michele de Pascale and Attilio Fontana.
One of the first events is scheduled for 12 noon at the Intesa Sanpaolo D3 Auditorium with “Forgiveness sets you free”, a meeting built around two stories marked by violence. The main guest will be Davide Simone Cavallo, a Bocconi University student who was stabbed at 22 over a few dozen euros and lost the use of his legs; a video contribution from Chiara Mocchi, a teacher attacked at school by a thirteen-year-old student, is also planned. Two stories united by the choice not to turn what happened into hatred.
Also at 12 noon, at the Arena Internazionale C3, the Meeting turns its gaze to Africa with “Coffee beans in Africa. Cultivating the talent of new generations”. The focus will be on vocational training, the sustainability of the supply chain, and the opportunities available to young producers. Guests include Deputy Foreign Minister Edmondo Cirielli, alongside representatives from Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, UNIDO and the business world.
At 1pm: business, welfare, faith and sport
The 1pm slot brings together several events. In the FS Group Hall C4, the focus will be on the production system with “Italy’s businesses: roots and international vision”. The discussion will bring together Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso, Emilia-Romagna President Michele de Pascale, Lombardy President Attilio Fontana and representatives of several major companies. The theme is a business system capable of maintaining ties to local communities while competing in international markets.
At the same time, the Conai Hall A2 will host “The future of welfare, twenty years after the 5×1000”. Figures from different political parties will take part, from Forza Italia to the Democratic Party, as well as Brothers of Italy, Italia Viva, Noi Moderati and Azione. The aim is to reflect on the evolution of a tool that, over twenty years, has strengthened the role of citizens and the third sector in shaping welfare policy.
At 1pm in the Neri Generali Cattolica Hall, meanwhile, “The awakening of faith” will bring to Rimini a phenomenon currently unfolding in France: a growing number of teenagers and adults requesting baptism in a deeply secularized society. Speakers will include Father Christophe Rosier, parish priest of Saint-Joseph in Grenoble, and student Ines Saada.
Also at 1pm, at the Cdo Arena C1, the event “Sport as a harmonious path” will bring together representatives of CSI, AC Milan, the Laureus Foundation and academia to discuss sport not merely as competition, but as a tool for education, inclusion and youth development. At the Euresis Arena A7, meanwhile, astrophysicist Heino Falcke will discuss subatomic particles, black holes and the wonder of the universe with astronomer Carlo Felice Manara.
Ukraine and education at the centre of the afternoon
Among the day’s most topical events is the one at 3pm in the Neri Generali Cattolica Hall: “Hope for Ukraine”. Speakers will include Yaryna Grusha, professor of Ukrainian Language and Literature at the University of Milan and author of “The Blue Album”, and Monsignor Pavlo Honcharuk, Latin Bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia. The introduction will be given by Meeting Foundation President Bernhard Scholz. The discussion will address the war and its consequences — not only material ones, but also its impact on memory, identity and the ability to imagine the future.
At 3pm at the Intesa Sanpaolo D3 Auditorium, meanwhile, “The courage to educate. Rebuilding the alliance between school and family” is scheduled. The debate will tackle youth distress, family fragility, school dropout rates and the need to rebuild a stable relationship between adults, young people and educational institutions. The closing remarks will be delivered by Minister of Education and Merit Giuseppe Valditara.
Sport takes centre stage again at 3pm in the FS Group Hall C4 with “From the mountains to the sea, the Italy that builds sport”. Speakers will include Olympic short-track champion Arianna Fontana and Valentina Greggio, holder of the women’s speed skiing world record. The event will be closed by the Minister for Sport and Youth Andrea Abodi. Discussion will start from the legacy of Milano Cortina 2026 and the opportunities opened up by the America’s Cup.
At 3pm at the Tracce Arena A3, meanwhile, the Meeting will move ideally across the Atlantic with “The heart of Latin America”: testimonies from Cuba, Chile and Venezuela recounting experiences of faith and social engagement in countries facing crisis and instability. During the same time slot there will also be a discussion on the relationship between private equity, capital markets and businesses, and, at the Arena Internazionale, a talk on the sustainable cocoa supply chain titled “Cacao Connect. The Italian path for cocoa”.
Salvini at the Meeting: a focus on infrastructure
One of the day’s key political moments will take place at 5pm in the Neri Generali Cattolica Hall with “A country on the move”. After an introduction by Luca Ferlaino, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini will speak with Gianpiero Strisciuglio, CEO and General Manager of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane.
Two round tables will follow, featuring executives and representatives of some of Italy’s leading companies in transport and infrastructure: airports, railways, local mobility, digital motorways and air transport. Participants include Andrea Corsini, president of Start Romagna, Geronimo La Russa, president of ACI, Maurizio Bufalini, general manager of TELT, and Sandro Pappalardo, president of ITA Airways. Closing remarks will once again be delivered by Salvini.
Also at 5pm, the Conai Hall A2 will host “Energy transition and competitiveness in the European Union”. Guests will include Carlo Battistini, president of the Romagna Chamber of Commerce, along with representatives of ENEA, GSE, the European Parliament and the business community. The discussion will start from the cost of energy and Europe’s competitive gap compared to the United States and China.
In the FS Group Hall C4, the focus will instead be on generational turnover in the public administration. “A public administration for talent” will feature Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala and Minister for Public Administration Paolo Zangrillo, with an emphasis on young people, merit, digitalization and artificial intelligence.
The 5pm schedule also includes an event on the teaching profession, one dedicated to training and skills mobility between Europe and Africa, and, at the Tracce Arena, “Radical Saint Francis”, featuring historian Antonio Musarra and Sister Federica Tarsi.
San Marino takes centre stage in the debate on artificial intelligence
At 7pm in the Conai Hall A2, there will also be a notable Sammarinese presence. Foreign Affairs Secretary of State Luca Beccari will take part in the event “A competitive Europe in the age of artificial intelligence”, alongside, among others, Bocconi University Rector Francesco Billari, former minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi, European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno and MEP Massimiliano Salini. The moderator will be Bernhard Scholz.
At the heart of the discussion will be Europe’s ability to keep pace with a technology evolving faster than the rules meant to govern it, seeking a balance between innovation, industrial competitiveness and regulatory frameworks.
Also at 7pm, at the Intesa Sanpaolo D3 Auditorium, the event “Through the eyes of Franz and Franziska” will feature Joe Gleason, editor of Terrence Malick’s film “A Hidden Life,” in a journey through the story of Blessed Franz Jägerstätter and his wife Franziska.
At the Cdo Arena C1, it will be time for “The challenge of integration”, featuring MP Sara Kelany, AVSI Secretary General Giampaolo Silvestri and Fondazione Progetto Arca President Alberto Sinigallia. The discussion will focus on the practical conditions needed to foster integration: language training, employment, public policy and access to housing.
The same time slot will also feature “Real subsidiarity. Shared administration starts from the ground up”, a documentary on Italian cooperation in Mozambique, the “Suspended Coffee” initiative by Gioventù Studentesca, and the intriguing event “When theology meets aliens”, dedicated to the questions that the potential discovery of extraterrestrial life would raise for religious reflection.
Nembrini and Rosini, followed by music, theatre and cinema
The day’s events will continue at 9pm at the Intesa Sanpaolo D3 Auditorium with Franco Nembrini and Fabio Rosini, protagonists of “Who moves whom? Are we truly made to love and be loved?”. A dialogue blending personal experience, literature and theology around the theme of love and desire, directly connected to the guiding theme of the 2026 Meeting, “The love that moves the sun and the other stars”.
At 9pm in the Conai Hall A2, meanwhile, “Crisis of the state and crisis among states: the hypothesis of Christian realism” will be held, with Professor Luca Castellin, while in the Neri Generali Cattolica Hall Pier Paolo Bellini will guide the audience through a listening session of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Vespers as part of the “Spirto Gentil” series.
The evening programme will then move beyond the fairgrounds. At 9:30pm at the Teatro Galli, “La fame. The parable of the man who did everything for love”, by Alberto Fumagalli, will be staged, featuring Chiara Liotta and Fumagalli himself. A theatrical fable that uses irony and allegory to explore desire, fragility and the search for meaning beyond immediate needs.
At the same time, at the Corte degli Agostiniani, the film “Rental Family”, directed by Hikari and set in Tokyo, will be screened, while at the Piscine Ovest Illumia Stage the concert “A Case of You” by Cicche sull’Asfalto will close out the evening with a repertoire spanning Italian and international music.
Throughout the day, there will also be plenty of activities for children. At the Children’s Village, among other events, “The knight in the sack” returns at 2:30pm, while the “Bubble Story Show” by Cristian Paglia is scheduled for 6:30pm — a free admission performance built around soap bubbles, gags and audience interaction.
The full programme and any updates are available on the official Rimini Meeting website.
