From July 16 to November 1, 2026, Cortona returns to looking at Italy through photography. Cortona On The Move, an international festival dedicated to contemporary imagery, transforms the town into a widespread route of exhibitions, visions and stories of the present.
The sixteenth edition, directed by Renata Ferri, is titled “Beautiful Country”. The curatorial project examines contemporary Italy through memory, identity, imagination and the many ways photography can convey the complexity of what surrounds us.
Thirty-three exhibitions and a widespread festival
The program includes thirty-three exhibitions, among original projects, solo and group shows, commissions and works created for this edition. These are joined by meetings, talks, portfolio reviews and events.
Cortona thus becomes an international meeting point for photographers, curators, professionals and the public. The venues spread throughout the town invite visitors to move from one project to another by walking through the city's streets.
Beautiful Country
The title does not offer a simplified image of the country. On the contrary, it invites us to look at Italy today in its contradictions, its shared memories, and the transformations that photography manages to make visible.
The opening is scheduled for Thursday, July 16 at 6:00 PM. From that moment until November 1, the festival offers a different way of experiencing Cortona and the Valdichiana Aretina: through the gaze of the authors and the questions posed by the images.