A Friday in October, piazza Trento e Trieste. People queuing with a newspaper under their arm, different languages at the café tables, bicycles everywhere. For three days the city speaks with a different voice.
If you are wondering what Internazionale a Ferrara is, the short answer is this: a free journalism festival that brings to town the people whose job is telling the story of the world. This year it runs from 2 to 4 October 2026 and it is the twentieth edition. We look forward to it every year, and here is why.
First of all: what is Internazionale
Internazionale is an Italian weekly magazine founded in 1993. It does something simple and rare: it picks articles from newspapers all over the world and translates them into Italian. It hits the newsstands on Fridays.
Since 2007, once a year, the magazine steps off the page and comes to Ferrara. The festival is organised by the Internazionale editorial team together with the Comune di Ferrara (the city council), Arci Ferrara and the Associazione IF. Its symbol is a small planet with human features, drawn by Anna Keen: this year, for the twentieth anniversary, it is playing a drum, like a town crier arriving with urgent news.
What happens over those three days
Talks, debates, book launches, screenings, exhibitions, workshops. More than two hundred guests, among them journalists, writers, photographers and activists, from more than thirty countries. The 2026 themes are the ones we read about every morning: wars, artificial intelligence, the climate crisis, rights, migration, new inequalities.
A few names from this year, to give you an idea:
- historian Omer Bartov and Palestinian writer Mohammed El Kurd, with two different perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict;
- Pankaj Mishra and Adam Shatz on the world after 7 October;
- lawyer Philippe Sands on impunity, starting from the Pinochet case;
- reporter Jon Lee Anderson on Cuba and the future of Havana;
- Nicola Lagioia, presenting a preview of his new novel, Santa Barbara, together with Donatella Di Pietrantonio;
- Zerocalcare, in two talks: with philosopher Lea Ypi and with Canadian writer Simon Paré-Poupart.
Over the years Angela Davis, Marjane Satrapi, Noam Chomsky and Arundhati Roy have all come through here. It is a festival that takes itself seriously without taking itself too seriously: this year there is also a stand-up comedy show built on testimonies from Medici Senza Frontiere (Doctors Without Borders), and on Saturday night a party for the twentieth anniversary at the Circolo Arci Bolognesi.
Not just talks
The festival has its own series, and they are worth knowing about:
- Mondovisioni: documentaries on current affairs, rights and information. It is the only part you pay for (5 euros).
- Mondoascolti: a series of audio documentaries.
- Internazionale Kids: events for children, curated by the Internazionale Kids editorial team.
- Fuoriclasse: the programme designed for secondary school students.
- Workshops: on journalism, writing, comics and more, with registration.
How to take part: free, but with a ticket
The talks are all free and there is no need to book. There is, however, one detail worth knowing before you arrive.
For the talks at the Teatro Comunale, the Cinema Apollo, the ex Teatro Verdi and Apollo 3 you need a tagliando, a free ticket, to be picked up at the festival stand in piazza Trento e Trieste. The stand is open on Friday and Saturday from 8 to 18, and on Sunday from 8 to 15. All other talks are free entry, until seats run out.
Our advice: the full programme is online on the festival website. Pick two or three talks a day, no more, and stop by the stand early in the morning for your tickets. The city does the rest: the venues are free of architectural barriers and you can reach them on foot or by bike. For information there is also a phone number, 0532 241419.
Why we like it
Because for three days Ferrara is full of curious people. People argue under the porticoes, queue to hear someone who has come from the other side of the world, and walk out of a theatre with a new question in their pocket. And we like curious people very much, at the table too.
In the evening, after a day like that, you want to talk it over calmly. A plate of fish, a bottle from winemakers we know, the story of what you heard. A practical tip from those of us who live through it: on those days the city fills up, and so do the tables. If you would like to have dinner with us, think about it in good time.
If you are staying a few more days, October has plenty more: we have told you about what we like this month and the exhibition at Palazzo dei Diamanti, from Monet to Kandinsky, open until January.
Frequently asked questions
When is Internazionale a Ferrara in 2026?
From 2 to 4 October 2026. It is the twentieth edition of the festival, which began in 2007.
Do you have to pay for the talks?
No, they are all free and there is no need to book. For those at the Teatro Comunale, the Cinema Apollo, the ex Teatro Verdi and Apollo 3 you need a free tagliando (ticket), to be picked up at the stand in piazza Trento e Trieste. Only the Mondovisioni documentary series is paid.
What is Internazionale?
It is an Italian weekly magazine, founded in 1993, that publishes articles from newspapers all over the world translated into Italian. The Ferrara festival is its live event.
Are there activities for children?
Yes. Internazionale Kids organises events for children, and there is a dedicated programme for secondary school students, Fuoriclasse.
If you're passing by
Three days of the world, in a small city. If you come for the festival, the table is ready: good food, good wine, and the conversation carries on.
We look forward to seeing you.