International Academy

Treviso Città Impresa – Industrial Territories Festival
International Academy

Treviso, Italy | 26th-29th March 2026

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Application deadline: Sunday, 15 March 2026

Applications are now open for the Academy Project of the Treviso Città Impresa, available to undergraduate, graduate, master’s, and PhD students from any International University. The festival will take place in Treviso from March 27th to 29th, 2026.

The Event Program

During the 2026 edition, the Città Impresa Festival will invite entrepreneurs, economists, institutional representatives, and journalists to discuss the challenges and opportunities related to the redefinition of geopolitical balances, the energy crisis, and the need to relaunch growth in major European countries.

The title of this year’s edition will be: COSTRUIRE E RICOSTRUIRE

The Festival will offer an in-depth analysis of the political, economic, and industrial transformations sweeping through Europe and the world, in a phase marked by widespread conflicts, the redefinition of geopolitical balances, and the fragmentation of the global economy. Key players in the international economic debate will take the stage: institutional representatives, economists, geopolitical analysts, scholars, and top managers of companies leading adaptation and growth processes in a rapidly changing context.

FESTIVAL SPEAKERS

ECONOMY AND INSTITUTIONS The Festival will host leading figures from the economic and institutional landscape. Guests will include Carlo Cottarelli, economist and former IMF director, Patrizio Bianchi, Professor Emeritus and former Minister of Education, and Alessandro Giovannini, Team Lead Economist at the European Central Bank. Other authoritative voices sharing their expertise include Corriere della Sera columnist Massimo Gaggi, economist Paolo Guerrieri, and Gian Paolo Manzella, former Undersecretary for Economic Development.

GEOPOLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL SCENARIOS A significant focus will be dedicated to analyzing global scenarios with prominent correspondents and strategic analysts such as Cecilia Sala, journalist and podcaster, Marco Varvello, RAI correspondent from London, and Tonia Mastrobuoni, Berlin correspondent. The geopolitical landscape, spanning from China to Africa, will feature contributions from experts including Alessandro Aresu (Limes), Stefano Manservisi (Horn of Africa Association), Francesco Maria Talò (IMEC Special Envoy), and Alessandro Arduino (King’s College London). Representing the foreign press perspective will be Megan Williams (CBC), Michael Braun (Die Tageszeitung), and Eric Jozsef (Libération).

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT Representing the real economy will be top executives from market-leading companies. The lineup includes Stefano Beraldo (CEO of OVS), Nazzarena Franco (CEO of DHL Express Italy), Alfonso Fuggetta (Ferrari), and Paola Carron (President of Confindustria Veneto Est). The sector of industrial excellence will also be represented by Fabio Franceschi (Grafica Veneta), Vincenzo Papes (Centro di medicina), Raffaele Boscaini (Masi Agricola), and Pietro Zambaiti (Cotonificio Zambaiti).

INNOVATION AND BUSINESS CONSULTING The business services and technological innovation sector will be represented by Riccardo Pavanato (CEO of Auxiell Group), joined by the team of Account Relationship Leaders comprised of Giada Marafon, Alessandro Faorlin, Francesco Ometto, and Gabriele Solarini Paviotti. Experts in digital trends, new media, and scientific research will complete the panel, featuring figures such as Giorgio Scura (Decripto.org), Carlo Pasqualetto (AzzurroDigitale), Piergiorgio Sonato (RFX Consortium), and Filippo Poletti (LinkedIn Top Voice).

ACADEMIA AND PUBLISHING Numerous professors and authors will contribute their research and insights. These include Professor Emeritus Giovanni Costa, legal scholars from the University of Padua Sandro De Nardi and Riccardo Borsari, and sociologist Nello Barile. The world of non-fiction and business storytelling will also feature contributions from Cristiano Boscato (Dinova), Andrea Bettini, and journalists Ilaria Vesentini and Camilla Consonni.

Participating in the Festival Città Impresa Academy

Selected students will benefit from:

Preferential access and reserved seating for event sessions, with opportunities for direct dialogue with speakers at the end of each session;
Guided visits to selected companies (available to participants who choose Option 1);
Accommodation in shared rooms at partner hotels for the duration of the stay (March 26th-29th), based on the selected option;
Fixed-menu lunches and dinners at venues designated by the organizing team;
Transfers between hotels and Festival venues (where necessary), as well as to selected companies during the visit itinerary (Option 1);
Book voucher worth 60 euros valid for purchasing books from a selected list of titles related to business culture and general training topics;
An official Certificate of Participation will be issued at the end of the event, provided the student has attended the scheduled activities.

The first application deadline is 2nd march 2026. Additional deadlines will be announced subject to availability of spots.

Once again this year, the Festival Città Impresa places special emphasis on engaging students from International Universities, offering them a unique opportunity for learning, exchanging ideas, and networking.

To this end, the organization invites a selected number of university students to apply for the Città Impresa Academy, with a participation fee required based on the option selected:

Option 1 | Company Visits + Festival Participation (4 days / 3 nights): €360

Option 2 | Festival Participation Only (3 days / 2 nights): €260

Note: Travel expenses to and from Bergamo are the responsibility of the students.

Click here to apply

Company visits

Students selected for option 1 (company visits + festival) will have the opportunity to participate in guided visits to selected companies, real case studies of product and process innovation. The visits will take place on the afternoon of Thursday, March 26th and the morning of Friday, March 27th, 2026.

Students from previous Academy editions have visited companies included in the annual ItalyPost Research, which ranks the best companies in the Emilia Romagna Region.

Key criteria include:

Revenue between €30 million and €500 million
Average annual growth of at least 10% over the past 6 years
High profitability demonstrated by an EBITDA above 9%
Financial solidity guaranteed by a maximum net debt/EBITDA ratio of 1.5

The companies we have visited include: Remazel Engineering, Persico Group, Lovato Electric, Fassi Gru, Acerbis, Siad Group, Pietro Fiorentini, Zordan, Cielo e Terra, ABB Italia, Marelli Motori, Morato Pane, Zamperla, and many others.

How to apply

To apply to the programme, simply fill out the form available by clicking here and specify which option you wish to apply for (option 1 or 2).

The deadline for submitting applications is 2nd march 2026.
Additional deadlines will follow, depending on availability.

Selected students must attend the event program defined by the Festival Città Impresa organization and actively participate in the activities planned for the three days of the event.

Applications will be selected and approved until all spots are filled. The selection of candidates will be at the sole discretion of the festival’s organizational team.

Our staff will provide selected students with all necessary information regarding meals, accommodation, and the event schedule and will communicate the payment details for the participation fee.