Convers-azioni
ConversAzioni
In 2021, the Viso A Viso Community Cooperative, together with Confcooperative Cuneo, conceived and launched ConversAzioni #1 – the Piedmont Festival of Cooperatives and Community Enterprises. The idea arose from the need to connect different realities, places, and enterprises, offering them the opportunity to meet, reflect together, and explore potential paths for collaboration.
The second edition, ConversAzioni #2 – The Places of Transformation, took on a regional scope, promoted directly by Confcooperative Habitat Piemonte with support from the national federation and several actors within the Confcooperative system. The festival fostered dialogue between local experiences and enterprises, political and institutional representatives, organizations, and experts and professionals.
ConversAzioni #3 continues to focus on building a shared and connected ground between enterprises and different cultural perspectives, a necessary foundation for strategic and supra-regional action. The specific theme for the 2024 festival is sustainability, understood in its threefold sense: environmental, economic, and cultural.
Starting from 2024, the Scuola di ConversAzioni is active during the festival, offering workshops led by experts and spaces for sharing practices.
The 2025 edition of ConversAzioni is titled “Beyond Inclusion: Towards a New Civil Vocabulary for Living in Italy” and will take place from November 6 to 8 in Ostana.
With a continuous focus on the strategic role of enterprises and institutions capable of generating social and economic transformations, the festival will be enriched by testimonies from Italy and other countries, sharing experiences of community cooperatives. A novelty of ConversAzioni#4 will be the Post-Festival, taking place from the afternoon of Saturday, November 8 to the afternoon of Sunday, November 9, offering participants the opportunity to explore the territory, learn its history, and inspire the creation of new ideas.
ConversAzioni
#4
Festival of Community Enterprises and Cooperatives
6–8 November 2025 – Ostana (CN), Lou Pourtoun, Civic and Cultural Center – Sant’Antonio hamlet
8–9 November 2025 – DopoFestival
Beyond Inclusion
Towards a new civic vocabulary for living in Italy.
Program
Thursday, November 6, 2025
16.00 Participant welcome for the Scuola di ConversAzioni 2025
19.00 Welcome aperitif and presentation of the School
20.30 Dinner at Merenderia Alpina, Lou Pourtoun Cultural Center
Friday, November 7, 2025
8.30 Breakfast and participant reception
9.30 Festival opening
10.00 Introduction to the program
Alberto Anselmo, President Confcooperative Habitat Piemonte. Laura Cantarella, Cooperativa di Comunità Viso A Viso
10.15 Institutional greetings
Giacomo Lombardo, Mayor of Ostana
Emanuele Vaudano, President of Unione Montana dei Comuni del Monviso
Mario Sacco, President Confcooperative Piemonte Sud
10.30 Social Economy: the innovation of community cooperatives
Giovanni Vetritto, Adviser to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers
Maurizio Gardini, National President Confcooperative
Alessandro Maggioni, National President Confcooperative Habitat
Marco Gallo, Regional Councillor of Piedmont for Mountain Development, Internal Areas and Gal
Irene Bongiovanni, President Confcooperative Culture, Tourism and Sport
Gianluca Vignale, Regional Councillor of Piedmont for Development and Cohesion Funds and Heritage
Fabiola Di Loreto, National Director Confcooperative
Franco Gilardi, President Assopiemonte Leader
Introduction and moderation: Stefano Arduini, Director of VITA
13.00 Conclusions
Followed by a walk with picnic lunch
15.00 Scuola di ConversAzioni
Institutional greetings. Jacopo Suppo, Vice President ANCI Piemonte and Deputy Mayor of the Metropolitan City of Turin. Luca Robaldo, President of the Province of Cuneo
Cooperativa Viso A Viso presentation: “La Grande Acqua. Geographies and transformations, research and practices, from the source to the mouth”
Book presentation: "Terre che non sono la mia. Una controgeografia in 111 mappe" by Matteo Meschiari. Dialogue with Laura Cantarella and Andrea Fenoglio – Viso A Viso (curated by BAO - Biblioteca Aperta di Ostana)
Participation tools. Sabina Bellione, Technical Director Consorzio Nazionale CGM. Luigi Vallome, Weco Eco Community Manager
Care ecosystems. Caterina Orsenigo, journalist. Tobias Luthe, Monviso Institute
Introduction and moderation: Duccio Facchini, Director of Altreconomia
20.30 Dinner
21.30 Evening of dances & mulled wine
Conversations in Ostana
Starting from 16:00, for those interested, it is possible to take part in the DopoFestival until Sunday, November 9, 2025.
November 8-9, 2025 – Ostana (CN), Lou Pourtoun, Civic and Cultural Center – Frazione Sant’Antonio
Program
Saturday, November 8, 2025
8.30 Breakfast
10.00 Communicating Inclusion: experiences, tools, projects
Anna Manca, President of Confcooperative Liguria
Marco Fiorito, Coordinator of Sbalzi Culturali – Social Cooperative Stranaidea
Luigi Gili, Observatory for Quality and Labor Rights
Introduced and moderated by Laura Cantarella, Community Cooperative Viso A Viso
11.30 Beyond Inclusion: Toward a New Civic Vocabulary for Living in Italy
Presentation of the report “10 years of cooperation in inner areas” by Dennis Maseri, Presidential Advisor Confcooperative Piemonte
Valerio Pellirossi, National Director Confcooperative Habitat
Maria Pianezzola, Director GAL Terre Occitane
Debora Aurino, Regional Competitiveness Directorate – Cooperative Enterprises Sector, Piedmont Region
Antonio De Rossi, Politecnico di Torino
Introduced and moderated by Luca Facta, Secretary General Confcooperative Habitat Piemonte
13.00 Conclusion of the Festival and the School of ConversAzioni
Followed by lunch with the inhabitants of Ostana through the streets of the village
From 16:00 onwards, for those interested, it is possible to participate in the Post-Festival until Sunday, November 9.
15.00 “King Lear”
By the Piccolo Teatro di Ostana – community theatre workshop conducted by Giulietta De Bernardi
20.00 Dinner
21.30 Film Screening: “La casa rossa”, directed by Francesco Catarinolo
In collaboration with the National Mountain Museum. Introductions by Marco Ribetti and Veronica Lisino
Sunday, November 9, 2025
8.30 Breakfast
10.00 Outdoor Experience
12.30 Final Aperitif at the Merenderia
Where to eat
and stay in Ostana?