Submissions for contributions will start on May 3rd! Your moment to start thinking what you can contribute to the festival that will create a common ground for sustainable futures in these divisive times! But don’t think about it too long. Submissions close on May 17th.

Submit your contributions here and be part of the change! 

ViA Verde Umbria is not just a beautiful natural piece of farm land and one of the two main spaces for the festival, it is also a working farm and living lab, created by two of the main co-organisers of the festival. Here we do not only grow food, but also knowledge and sustainable futures together with volunteers from around the world. ViA Verde is happily rooted in the local community of Penna in Teverina. The second main space that will host events and concerts (see map). As a beautiful example of collaboration and welcome culture, the municipality and local fest committee/Pro Loco Association are supporting partners for logistical and food related questions, while the local art and cultural initiative “Società Lunare” provides a welcoming ground for artists and activists from near and far. ViA Verde is also connected to the broader global SCORAI Network (Sustainable Research and Action Network) that started to develop the idea of a conference plus festival over the course of a year, taking inspiration from research on pop-culture and positive emotions for sustainable development. The festival will happen back-to-back to the main conference in Brazil this year and build a small bridge between continents as well as research and action. Speaking of Action: We should not forget the the three national and international civil society organizations: Sahel Vert brings their incredible networks that bridge Europe with Africa and create an Eco-Social common ground for this festival, while The Hope Hub Network (It’s Thyme) connects regenerative farms and living and learning labs like ViA Verde in order to strengthen the growth and reach of our grassroots initiatives. This is also the mantra of Italia Che Cambia – one of the best storytellers and mappers of change in Italy, who we are proudly having as Media Partner of this first of hopefully many Common Ground Festivals.

The festival takes place in the small town of Penna in Teverina, an hour north of Rome in the beautiful Umbrian countryside, and at the walkable ViA Verde Farm, a green living and learning lab for regenerative practices and food systems transformation.

We strongly encourage using sustainable transportation. Check out connections at: trenitalia.com  trainline.info or interrail.com 

Consider options such as trains, buses, public transport, or carpooling (there will be a channel to connect and self-organise the latter)

The nearest train stations are: „Orte Scalo“ and „Attigliano-Bomarzo“. There is a public bus leaving right outside of Attigliano trainstation and going directly to Penna in Teverina. 

For 3-day pass holders, pick-up can be arranged from the Orte Scalo train station on Friday morning. 

Return trips will be offered on Monday morning. 

If you are not a 3-day passholder or arrive outside of these pick-up times, you have the following options to reach Penna in Teverina/the festival location:

1. public bus from Attigliano-Bomarzo (~ 4 times a day – see connections here: maps.google.com)
2. book a rural taxi service (ideally a bit ahead of time) from Orte  or Attigliano-Bomarzo   (~ 20 Euros per ride)
3. Hitchhike / Solidarity bench
4. Come with your own car and offer a solidarity spot to others (free parking spots in Penna are indicated on the map below)

Upon registration, we will invite you to a resource and car-sharing chat in order for people to self-organize in solidarity.

We want to be as inclusive as possible and honor collaboration and volunteering while also hoping to cover our costs.

If your contribution to the program is accepted, we will offer you a free particpation that day.

Please help us to make solidarity festivals possible by donating more than the indicated donation suggestions (which will barely cover our costs) .. if you can!

3-DAY + 3-NIGHT PACKAGE:

starting at €180 + VAT per person

3-DAY + 2-NIGHT PACKAGE:

starting at €150 + VAT per person

2-DAY + 1-NIGHT PACKAGE:

starting at €100 + VAT per person

1 DAY + 1 NIGHT FEE

Starting at €50 + VAT per person

Even partial fees include all services covered by the full festival fee and breakfast for the days attended.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO ATTEND A SINGLE DAY?

For the best networking and community building effect, we encourage a stay for the multi-day experience. At the same time ther will be a possibility to aquire a donation based day pass on the spot – An opportunity especially created for local attendants that want to see what all this movement in their beautiful home town and region is all about.

For simple accommodation, the following options are available:

• Camping spots on the farm – bring your own tent*; limited spots available (priority for 3-day pass holders)
• Hostel bed – 30 bunk-bed spots available (first come /signed up – first served – bring your own sleeping bag)

* Priority is given to 3-day pass holders (3 nights stay included in the pass) 

A resource-sharing channel will be available for registered pass-holders that do not have the necessary equipment or are unable to bring it. 

We also have partnered up with the following Agriturismi (Guesthouses) in a 3km radius (reachable by car in less than 5min, by bike & walking in +/- 20-35min) that will offer discounts on self-organized multi-night stays for festival guests that want to upgrade their experience: 

• Agriturismo Claudio (contact Claudio:  
• Albergo degli Struzzi (contact Patrizia: 

If you are open to sharing your room (with multiple single/queen size beds) with someone, to lower the cost, let them know.

You can of course also check classic booking platforms for various categories of sleeping options in and arround Penna in Teverina.

Since our audience will include both international and Italian participants, we want to make the program accessible to everyone. We will therefore use a mix of English and Italian, with some sessions offered in Italian, some offered in English and some being translated.

The program will indicate the languages of each session. Keep in mind: By collaborating, we can bridge all borders .. including language barriers 🙂