FAI Autumn Days 2025: a weekend to discover Italy's hidden gems

Over 700 exceptional places, often inaccessible or little known, will open to the public in 350 Italian cities on the occasion of the FAI Autumn Days 2025, the great widespread event that FAI – Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano ETS dedicates every year to the cultural and landscape heritage of the country. It will be a national celebration, organized by the Delegations and FAI Groups with the participation of young volunteers, to discover and rediscover extraordinary places and support the Foundation's mission with a free donation.

All information and the list of open places are available at www.giornatefai.it

2025 marks a special edition: FAI turns fifty, founded in 1975 by Giulia Maria Crespi and Renato Bazzoni together with Alberto Predieri and Franco Russoli. The initiative was presented at the Palazzo del Viminale in Rome, exceptionally visitable during the Days (only on Sunday, October 12, by reservation), a building designed in 1911 by Manfredo Manfredi at the behest of Giovanni Giolitti, which combines the charm of imperial Rome with the monumental taste of the time and is now the seat of the Ministry of the Interior.

Among the open places, some reserved for members or by reservation, stand out: Palazzo del Viminale and Casino Giustiniani Massimo ai Laterani in Rome; Palazzo Litta, Casa Corbellini Wassermann and Torre Gioia 22 in Milan; Palazzo Mondadori in Segrate and Asilo Sant’Elia in Como; the former Italsider of Bagnoli and the Monastero Regina Coeli in Naples; the Interregional Scientific Police Office and the former Le Nuove Prison in Turin; the Rai headquarters in Florence and Palazzo Pazzi-Quaratesi; the Cryptoporticus of the Bellini Garden in Catania and the Oratory of the Bianchi in Palermo; Palazzo Balbi in Venice and the Reading Cabinet of Padua; Palazzo della Provincia in Bari and Villa Damaso Bianchi in Fasano; Villa Guastavillani in Bologna and the Ducal Palace of Modena; the Lyrical Theater of Cagliari and the Mamone Reclusion House in Onanì.

There are also places in Italy that intertwine art, nature, and memory, such as Villa Verdi in Villanova sull’Arda, Palazzo Marignoli in Spoleto, the Aquamater Hypogeum in Matera, the Papal Paper Mill in Ascoli Piceno, Villa Gavotti in Albisola Superiore, Villa Gherta in Trento, Villa De Ferrari Bagatti Valsecchi in Merate, Gessopalena in Abruzzo, and Lustra in Cilento. The walks and villages not to be missed include the rock settlement of Verzino, the medieval aqueduct of Gubbio, the castle of Nidastore in Arcevia, the Rione Fossi of Accadia, Pereta, Valvasone Arzene, Magliano dei Marsi, and Bene Vagienna.

“The FAI Days – explains the president, Marco Magnifico - represent for decades a virtuous alliance between citizens: those who wish to know and deepen the history of our country and the FAI volunteers who make this cultural offer possible. It is a common project where we sow for a better future, alongside institutions. The FAI Days are a good news that, amidst many frightening reports, repeats itself and gives us hope in civil coexistence and peace.”

The event is part of the campaign “October of FAI”, dedicated to raising awareness and fundraising for the protection of Italian heritage. Participating means supporting the Foundation with a free donation or becoming a member, accessing priority paths and reserved openings, in a weekend that celebrates beauty, culture, and civic participation.

On the cover: Villarbasse (TO)

SMAT Aqueduct

Photo Blanco

FAI