These days, a diverse group of pacifists, dreamers, and experienced walkers are tracing the Italian connection to the Peacewalk 2026, treading riverbanks and testing the currents along the way. It is not merely a matter of mapping trails; it is an act of listening to the land. The dates are set: from August 24 to 30, 2026, the stretch from Venice to Trieste will become a laboratory of peace in motion.
The route is not a straight line drawn on a cold GPS, but a return to the movement’s origins. In developing the Venetian section, M. Alessandra Filippi—historian and independent researcher—helped highlight how the mixed land-and-water dimension constitutes the genetic code of the Northern Adriatic. In these lands, people have always traveled this way: through lagoons, river mouths, and coastal navigation. The pilgrims departing from Venice didn’t “walk,” but set sail.
The Peacewalk revisits this ancestral method in stages that evoke both water and land:
Venice → Punta Sabbioni (August 24) → Jesolo: We begin on the water, navigating the lagoon to Punta Sabbioni and then beginning the journey.
Jesolo → Caorle: Across the banks of the Piave River, where the pace becomes slow and regular.
Caorle → Lignano: Crossing the flowing boundary of the Tagliamento.
Lignano → Grado → Aquileia → Fiumicello: A crossing by boat, historically consistent with the breath of the lagoon.
Fiumicello/Villa Vicentina → Monfalcone → Duino/Aurisina: A passage through Bisiacarìa, the land between Friuli and Trieste, home to shipyards.
Duino/Aurisina → Trieste. The arrival on August 30th in Opčine, to join the path from Ljubljana in the capital of the Alpe-Adria Euroregion.
The Peacewalk is a huge project: an 8,500 km journey connecting Finisterre (Spain) to Jerusalem, aiming to find common ground for reconciliation, beyond conflict.
A single symbol will fly along the entire route: a white flag with a yellow dove. No logos, no acronyms, just the naked identity of peace.
The path has an unveiling power: it removes the veils of perception and transforms the Other from an obstacle to a companion on the journey. But this step is incomplete if it isn’t combined with the capacity to transform reality, a characteristic of nonviolence.
As Michele Boato of the Alexander Langer Ecoinstitute reminds us, nonviolence is not passivity but an active force, capable of dismantling the logic of conflict. This is the approach taken by Movimento Tellurico, part of the Italian branch of Peacewalk, which practices “solidarity walking” together with the people affected by the earthquake in central Italy.
“Walking means getting to know the land, its wounds and its hopes, creating positive vibrations that, like a reverse earthquake, rebuild social bonds and solidarity.”
This technical review isn’t just about marking tracks. It may be necessary to limit the number of participants to ensure the sustainability of the ferries and the accommodations in gyms and parishes. At the very least, since it’s still the tourist season, it won’t be possible to transfer more than a certain number of people by water at a time. Some crossings are real bottlenecks, leading us to consider this decision necessary. There are possible alternatives such as buses or bicycles, but we won’t be able to provide more specific information until further notice.
In the coming days, you’ll find all the updated information on the website www.localmarchforgaza.it in the calendar section.
The Local March for Gaza, also part of the organization of the Italian branch of Peacewalk, is an experience of walking and commitment that began last year with the procession from Oropa to Milan, and has been replicated with thirty other marches, along the paths and towards Italy’s marginalized areas.
The goal is to leave a permanent GPS track, a legacy for years to come, so that this path of peace continues to be traveled. Because between a lagoon and a trail, it’s still possible to write a story, where the journey isn’t about conquering, but about understanding.
For information and registration: peacewalk.info
