Cortona On The Move

Cortona On The Move 2026 dedicates its sixteenth edition to Italy with “Beautiful Country”, a photographic journey through landscapes, identities, memory and contemporary transformations

The international photography festival Cortona On The Move returns to Cortona from 16 July to 1 November 2026 for its sixteenth edition. Directed by Veronica Nicolardi, the festival marks a new chapter under the artistic direction of Renata Ferri and reaffirms its role within the contemporary photography landscape.

The theme of the 2026 edition is Beautiful Country, an exploration of Italy over the last decades. The exhibitions offer a multifaceted portrait of the country through the eyes of Italian and international photographers, addressing physical and social landscapes, collective memory, urban transformation, rituals, suburbs, tourism, the environment and new forms of representation.

As in previous editions, Cortona becomes an open-air exhibition route, with displays hosted in historic buildings, cultural venues and outdoor spaces. The festival invites visitors to explore the historic centre and the city’s landmark locations, combining the exhibition experience with the discovery of one of Tuscany’s most charming towns.

The programme also includes Peninsula, an original project conceived by Renata Ferri and produced in partnership with Intesa Sanpaolo, Gallerie d’Italia and Fondazione CR Firenze. The commission involves ten artists invited to engage with the physical and symbolic territories of the contemporary Italian landscape.

EXHIBITIONS

• Peninsula
An original project conceived by Renata Ferri featuring Arianna Arcara, Fabio Barile, Marina Caneve, Federico Clavarino, Matteo De Mayda, Giorgio Di Noto, Alessandro Imbriaco, Rachele Maistrello, Giulia Parlato and Giovanna Silva.

• Joel Sternfeld / Campagna Romana

• Candida Höfer / Perfect Beauty

• Kourtney Roy / Failed Postcards from Napoli

• Botto&Bruno / Songs of a Lost World
A site-specific installation created using collage techniques.

• Antonio Biasiucci / Cosmogonies

• Gabriele Basilico and Angelo Leonardo / Milan on the Edge

• Andrea Modica / Italian Story

• Mattia Balsamini and Raffaele Panizza / Restless Star

• Paparazzi
An open-air exhibition based on the editorial project curated by Francesco Piccolo.

• Aaron Schuman / Sonata

• Steffi Reimers / Guilty Grounds

• Sohei Nishino / Dioramas

• Mattia Zoppellaro and Chiara Fossati / Rave

• Federico Patellani / Stromboli (God’s Land)
In collaboration with MUNAF – National Museum of Photography.

• Chiara Indelicato / Skin of Lava

• Ivan Carozzi and Giulia Mangione / Holy Week
A project conceived and produced in partnership with at – autolinee toscane.

• Rest Areas. Italy Through the Images of the Eni Archive

• Federica Sasso / Royal Battle

• Luca Campigotto / When Night Falls

• Francesco Anselmi / I Am Border
With Médecins Sans Frontières, exploring travel, waiting and care.

• Julie Hascoët / Carrara, the Twilight of the Mountain

• Paolo Ventura / By Grace Received

• Silvia Camporesi / Inverted Landscape

• Alys Tomlinson / The Islanders

• Jason Fulford / Tombola

• Marco P. Valli and Luca Santese / Realpolitik

• Yago Soria Díaz / In Search of the Wolf and the Saint
In collaboration with Institut d’Estudis Baleàrics.

• Italian Photo Novel / At Italo’s Home. An Italian Collection

• Alessandro Toscano / OverTourism

• Paola Di Bello / Video-Stadium

• Moira Ricci / A Lidiput

• Fabrizio Vatieri / Gino Severini, Up Close
In collaboration with Accademia Etrusca di Cortona and MAEC.

• Groundswell Project
A European project dedicated to contemporary photography and initiatives addressing the climate crisis.