22/09/2026
Dicomano sets off: ITER returns on 10 and 11 October
The Mugello region is setting out on a journey. On 10 and 11 October, in Dicomano, ITER – the Festival of Walking and Slow Living in the Mugello – returns. Organised by Le Orme APS, the event focuses on walking, slow tourism and the discovery of the local area through its history, culture and communities.
Following its first edition, held between Barberino di Mugello and San Piero a Sieve, ITER continues its journey and arrives in Dicomano, in the grounds of the Parco dell’Albereta and the former Macelli area, with a two-day programme designed for a wide audience: walkers and cyclists, families, nature and culture enthusiasts, but also those simply curious to discover the Mugello from a different perspective.
The event will take place alongside the traditional October Fair, with which ITER will integrate, offering a weekend that combines events, outdoor activities, culture and the promotion of local produce.
From the ‘Orme del Mugello’ trails to wine and the grape harvest
Once again, the trails will be at the heart of the Festival.
Particular attention will be paid to the ‘Orme del Mugello’ trails, the project that is building a network of routes designed to showcase the area through its landscapes and history.
Over the weekend, there will be walking tours focusing in particular on Route 1, dedicated to the origins of the Mugello, and Route +1, which explores the theme of wine and the grape harvest, with an itinerary closely linked to the autumn season.
Alongside the walking tours, there will be cycling trips, yoga sessions and yoga for children – activities designed to help visitors experience the area at different paces through experiences that combine exercise, nature and wellbeing.
From slow tourism to safety on the trails
However, ITER will not merely be an outdoor festival.
Over the two days, there will be a programme of conferences, talks, thesis presentations and in-depth discussions focusing on various aspects of walking and the slow lifestyle.
Discussions will cover the motivations behind setting out on a walk, the relationship between people and the local area, and the opportunities offered by slow tourism for the revitalisation of inland areas.
A specific focus will be on safety on the trails – a particularly topical issue for those who frequent hiking routes – addressed in the light of the new technologies and digital tools now available for navigation, communication and the management of hikes.
The discussion will then broaden to cover the history, culture and traditions of the Mugello region, with the aim of demonstrating how walking can become a means of discovering and passing on the area’s heritage.
Theatre, too, tells the stories of the Mugello
Among the events of the second edition will be a theatre production dedicated to the characters featured in the audio guide created for ‘Orme del Mugello’.
Theatre thus becomes a further means of giving voice to the stories of the region and bringing back to the present the characters, events and memories that form part of the Mugello’s cultural heritage.
A different way of telling the region’s story, in keeping with ITER’s philosophy: not merely passing through a place, but stopping to listen to it and understand it.
Mugello’s autumn meets the October Fair
The timing of ITER within the weekend of Dicomano’s October Fair also provides an opportunity to celebrate one of the most evocative times of the year in Mugello.
Autumn brings with it the colours of the woods, the grape harvest now over, and a season rich in produce and traditions. Truffles, chestnuts, bardiccio and other local specialities will thus accompany a weekend in which the landscape and food and wine will come together with the Festival’s activities.
The aim is to offer visitors and guests an authentic snapshot of the region: a Mugello to explore, discover, savour and experience.
A travelling festival throughout the Mugello
ITER was conceived with one specific feature in mind: to be a travelling festival, designed to move between the various municipalities in the region over the years.
The idea is to build, edition after edition, an event capable of bringing together the different facets of the Mugello region and, each time, inviting the public to discover new places, routes and stories.
The second edition is organised by Le Orme APS, under the patronage of the Union of Municipalities of Mugello and the Municipality of Dicomano, and forms part of the initiative to promote the region carried out through Orme del Mugello.
The project aims to build a network of itineraries that weave together footpaths, country lanes, villages, history, culture, nature, local produce and hospitality, offering residents and visitors a slower, more mindful way of getting to know the area.
‘Setting out on a journey means, first and foremost, changing the way you look at an area – this is the spirit in which ITER was conceived. It means taking the time to observe, listen and get to know the people and stories you encounter along the way. With this Festival, we want to bring this very idea to the fore: Mugello is not merely a destination to reach, but an area to explore and experience.’
On 10 and 11 October, Dicomano will thus become one of the stops on this journey, with two days dedicated to those who already know the pleasure of walking and to those wishing to discover slow tourism for the first time.
