Two days of multidisciplinary meetings and discussions, featuring presentations by representatives from the scientific and institutional worlds, activism and philosophy, together with religious figures, administrators, and cultural figures, in the city that embodies Franciscan values and harmony with Creation, scheduled for Wednesday, October 8, and Thursday, October 9, 2025. A space for debate in which representatives of the scientific community will engage in discussion alongside priests and theologians, representatives of institutions, the world of activism, philosophy, and culture, who will investigate, with a multidisciplinary and rigorous approach, the relationship between humanity and other animals.
The initiative, promoted by the Palindroma APS Association in collaboration with the Municipality of Assisi and with the patronage of the Region of Umbria, Region of Abruzzo, Municipality of Perugia, and Municipality of Rome, was created on the occasion of the eighth centenary of the Canticle of the Creatures, composed around 1224 by St. Francis of Assisi as a praise to God and all his creatures. a space for public reflection on the relationship between living beings, which captures the spirit of that ancient, yet still modern, intuition: to give thanks instead of dominating, to recognize ourselves as part of the whole instead of separating ourselves from it; at a time in history when the animal question is linked to current issues such as the ethics of coexistence, public health, the conservation of biodiversity, and climate change.
To honor the memory of Jane Goodall, ethologist and environmentalist, who passed away on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, the first edition of the Festival delle Creature di Assisi will be dedicated to her, her research work, and the enormous legacy of interspecies empathy that the ethologist and environmentalist has left us.
The Palindroma APS Association, in order to honor her memory, her impressive research work, and the enormous legacy of interspecies empathy she left us, promptly decided to dedicate the first edition of the Festival delle Creature, to be held in Assisi on October 8 and 9, to Jane Goodall.
“Her revolutionary research on the chimpanzees of Gombe not only redefined our understanding of the animal world,” explain the leaders of the Palindroma APS Association, “but also highlighted the profound connection between all species, demonstrating how humanity is an integral part of a single, complex web of life. Goodall’s commitment to protecting biodiversity and promoting understanding between humanity and other animals is at the heart of the themes that will animate the Festival delle Creature. As Palindroma, we express our deep gratitude for the lessons she leaves us. Her call to action is a warning that caring for relationships between creatures is a basic principle. The dedication of the Festival delle Creature, concluded the organizers, is a heartfelt tribute that follows an important moment of encounter: the city of Assisi, through the Palindroma association, had the honor of meeting Jane Goodall at the Bioparco in Rome in 2024. Finally, we would like to follow up on this tribute by asking the Municipality of Assisi to name a space in the city of St. Francis, a symbol of dialogue and harmony with creation, after Jane Goodall.
Jane Goodall’s vision, based on respect, mutual care, and nonviolence, extends far beyond the animal kingdom. It urges us to strive for peace and compassion as fundamental pillars of every interaction, both with nature and among humans. The empathy that allows us to recognize suffering in another living being, animal or person, must guide our actions.
In this spirit, the Festival delle Creature is also a moment of reflection on the need to apply these universal principles in places where violence is most acute. Goodall’s legacy reminds us that our duty does not stop at caring for the planet and animals, but requires a relentless effort to peacefully resolve ongoing conflicts and protect the life and dignity of every person. There can be no true peace with nature without peace among human beings.
Jane Goodall’s teaching is a universal call to responsibility to build a future where compassion prevails over destruction.
Welcomed with great enthusiasm by the Municipality of Assisi, the initiative has received the support of Mayor Valter Stoppini, who emphasized: “Our commitment goes beyond simple cultural promotion and takes the form of tangible actions. That is why we are proud to support the festival, an event that I am sure will stimulate the administration, especially on issues where we are lagging behind. The adoption of the Animal Welfare Regulations, in particular, is a step that can no longer be postponed for the city of St. Francis.“
”This is a courageous festival that aims to open up a space for dialogue between people who often find themselves at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of education, methodological approach, and worldview,” say the festival organizers Lorella Muzi, Reisa Perchta, and Rebecca Di Santo of the Palindroma APS Association. – It is precisely from these differences, sometimes even stark ones, that we believe the most fruitful discussions and profound reflections aimed at improving animal welfare can arise. The festival, inspired by the radical and secular vision of Francis of Assisi, placing it in dialogue with the scientific, ethical, and cultural challenges that today affect our relationship with animals, aims to be a container that welcomes, develops, and harmonizes different perspectives, with the goal of generating informed choices in people as well as positive developments in improving collective well-being.”
“We are delighted to host this first edition of the Festival delle Creature,” explains Veronica Cavallucci, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Assisi. “It is a space where awareness and clarity can emerge, making choices, responsibilities, and perspectives on the relationship between humanity and animals more accessible for the well-being of the community.”
A wide range of qualified speakers will gather in the Sala della Conciliazione in the Palazzo dei Priori in Assisi, a city that symbolizes dialogue and carries a universal message of peace and harmony with creation. They will compare different experiences and visions, animating a free and pluralistic debate on topics such as ethics, biodiversity, law, public health, communication, food culture, activism, and sustainability.
The Festival will be accompanied by a series of creative contributions that will enrich the experience: the artistic intervention of Francesca De Mai, with the performance and exhibition AnimeLeAli, the exhibition of works by illustrator and graphic designer Alessio Alcini, who will be drawing live during the event; sweets offered by Snug – The Comfort Café (Rome) and plant-based products by Ortoingiro (Valtopina), a local sustainable agriculture company; finally, the sensory cooking show by Romeow Cat Bistrot (Rome), scheduled for Wednesday, October 9, which will celebrate vegan aesthetics and culture.
The Festival delle Creature program – All events
The events, hosted in the Sala della Conciliazione in the Palazzo dei Priori in Assisi, with free admission, will be broadcast live on the www.festivaldellecreature.it portal and will open on Wednesday, October 8, at 9:30 a.m., with institutional greetings from the President of the Umbria Region, Stefania Proietti, and the Mayor of Assisi, Valter Stoppini. This will be followed by the thematic opening led by Fra Pietro Maranesi, professor of dogmatic theology and Franciscanism at the Theological Institute of Assisi, who will focus on “Pietatis viscera etiam erga animalia: Brother Francis’ ecological compassion towards animate and inanimate creatures”, focusing on St. Francis’ ecological spirit towards animate and inanimate creatures, conceived as a consequence of a gaze of wonder and gratuitousness on the world, and a video message contribution by Marc Bekoff, ethologist and behavioral ecologist, professor emeritus at the University of Colorado, expert on animal emotions and co-founder with Jane Goodall of Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
The program will continue in the morning with Panel 1 on the theme of “Biodiversity conservation and the role of institutions,” introduced and moderated by Barbara De Mori, professor of Bioethics and Animal Conservation at the University of Padua.
Panel 1 will feature presentations by the president of the Italian Union of Zoos and Aquariums (UIZA), biologist Cesare Avesani Zaborra; Gianfranco Bologna, Honorary President of the WWF Scientific Community and one of the leading experts on sustainability and biodiversity. The panel will also feature other speakers: Monica Cirinnà, former Senator, civil rights activist, and animal rights pioneer, who was the first to receive the animal welfare portfolio in the Municipality of Rome; Daniela Donetti, health manager for the Umbria Region, expert in public health, prevention, and animal welfare, with an integrated approach to health according to the One Health paradigm; Gianluca Felicetti, president of LAV (Anti-Vivisection League), activist and author, who has been at the forefront of animal rights for years; Dario Nardella, Member of the European Parliament, former mayor of Florence, promoter of sustainable urban policies and environmental innovation in Europe; Patrizia Prestipino, Guarantor for Animal Welfare and Protection of Rome Capital, a member of parliament who has always been committed to animal protection policies, education on respect and coexistence between species.
Panel 2, scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 8, will focus on the theme “Relationship between humanity and other animals: ethics and coexistence,” introduced and moderated by Costanza Lanzara, anthropologist and professor of urban and rural anthropology at the University of Florence. Speakers will include: Sara D’Angelo, animal rights activist and coordinator of the Network of Free Animal Sanctuaries in Italy; Barbara De Mori, professor of Bioethics and Animal Conservation at the University of Padua, expert in ethics applied to the management of wildlife and non-human animals; Giulia Guazzaloca, full professor of Contemporary History at the University of Bologna, scholar of the relationship between society and animals in Italian history. Panel 2 will be concluded by Massimo Manni, founder of the Santuario Capra Libera Tutti, a place of liberation and refuge for animals rescued from exploitation, and Natasha Vothke, vice president of Pro Animale fûr Tiere in Not.e. V. Schweinfurt, Germany – an international foundation with offices in several European countries.
The second day, Thursday, October 9, will be opened by Don Cosimo Schena, priest, clinical psychologist, philosopher, influencer with a large online following, and great animal lover.
This will be followed by a presentation by Estela Torres, co-founder of the Fraternité pour le Respect Animal (FRA), a theologian active in the dialogue between Christian faith and compassion for animals.
Panel 3, scheduled for the morning, will focus on the theme “Animals as food: culture and sustainability,” introduced and moderated by Laura Budriesi, university professor and expert on the participation of non-human performers in live shows and animality on the contemporary scene.
The program also includes presentations by: Cristina Bowerman, Michelin-starred chef and promoter of a food culture based on food sustainability, innovation, and education in schools, who will contribute on the theme “Food between culture and sustainability”; Pablo D’Ambrosi, documentary filmmaker, director, and co-author of the investigative film Food for Profit (2024), made together with Giulia Innocenzi, on animal exploitation in the livestock industry; Camilla Laureti, Member of the European Parliament, member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, committed to issues of ecological transition, food sustainability, and European agricultural policies, who will lead a presentation focused on “Farming in the EU: overview and prospects,” highlighting the dual challenge facing animal welfare legislation, which aims, on the one hand, to ensure the improvement of standards and, on the other, to put in place economically and socially sustainable measures. Completing the panel for Panel 3 will be: Anna Maria Manzoni, psychologist, psychotherapist, criminologist, writer, and animal rights activist, who will focus her contribution on “Cognitive dissonance: how to do harm while continuing to feel good”; Simone Pollo, associate professor of moral philosophy at the Sapienza University of Rome and member of the National Biodiversity Future Center and the scientific committee of Legambiente, who, through his presentation entitled ‘Inventing food, experimenting with the good life’, will attempt to demonstrate how the search for forms of human nutrition without the use of animals is a form of experimentation with more morally acceptable ways of human life; Finally, Simone Scampoli, anti-speciesist activist and director of the Santuario Capra Libera Tutti (Free Goat Sanctuary), one of the largest sanctuaries for animals rescued from farming and exploitation, aims to raise awareness of animals not as products but as individuals, in an experience that combines ethics, learning, and sustainability.
The Festival delle Creature reinforces its symbolic link with Franciscan values by dedicating a space for in-depth discussion at the end of the event to Abruzzo, the region that is the protagonist this year on the occasion of the Feast of St. Francis, in donating the oil that will fuel the lamp lit on the saint’s tomb.
On the afternoon of Thursday, October 9, Panel 4 will focus on the theme “Coexistence between humans and wildlife starting from Abruzzo”, introduced and moderated by Valeria Barbi, naturalist, popularizer, and author, who has documented biodiversity and human impact on wild animals in the field.
The theme of Panel 4, focusing on the complex balance between the conservation of local wildlife, coexistence with humans, and local development, with regard to the case of Abruzzo, will be explored in depth by: Daniela D’Amico, communications manager for the Abruzzo National Park; Serena Ciabò, head of the L’Aquila Parks and Reserves Office, part of the Agriculture, Forestry, and Parks Department of the Abruzzo Region; Salvatore Macrì, director of the Umbria Region’s Veterinary Health and Food Safety Prevention Department. This will be followed by presentations by: Filomena Ricci, director of the Regional Nature Reserve and WWF Oasis “Gole del Sagittario” in Abruzzo and promoter of environmental education projects such as “Sicuri per natura” (Safe by Nature) and ‘AmbientAbile’ (Environmentally Friendly), who in her contribution on “The culture of human-wildlife coexistence in Abruzzo. The WWF experience”, she will illustrate ways to build a true culture of coexistence between communities and local wildlife. Finally, Elisabetta Tosoni, biologist and expert on large carnivores, with over 20 years of research on the Marsican brown bear and the wolf in the Apennines, will advocate for an approach that combines science and storytelling and promotes environmental education through storytelling, art, and nature.
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