Thanks to its highly symbolic value, the March for Peace is one of the major, best attended events in Umbria and involves families and delegations from throughout Italy.
Held every two years between late September and early October, the Perugia-Assisi March for Peace is an Italian Pacifist movement event where a procession winds along an approximately 24 kilometre route from Perugia to Assisi.
The first March of Fraternity and Peace among populations was created and organised on 24 September 1961 by Aldo Capitini, a philosopher, politician, anti-fascist, poet and educator from Perugia. Known as “the Italian Ghandi” for his intense commitment to the values of peace, he was the first to have theorised the non-violent thought for which the Indian philosopher was the spokesperson.
The first Perugia-Assisi March gathered over 20,000 people, including some illustrious names, such as Calvino and Guttuso, under the banner of “For peace and fraternity among peoples.
The flag of Peace appeared for the first time and became the symbol of opposition to all wars and of fraternity and solidarity between the peoples.
Its underlying spirit of the first event has remained over time to become one of the major, best attended events in Umbria and involves families and delegations from all over Italy.
The procession traditionally ends in the large square in front of the Rocca Maggiore in Assisi, where the authorities and most influential people speak to the public.
