European Heritage Days 2026 — September 26 and 27

On Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September 2026, the European Heritage Days return — Europe’s most widely attended cultural event. This year’s theme is «Protecting Heritage. Renew, Resist, Reinvent»: a reflection on the pressures cultural heritage is subjected to — material and immaterial — and on the shared responsibilities needed to safeguard and pass it on.

In Italy, coordination is handled by the Ministry of Culture: museums, archaeological parks, and state and non-state cultural sites open with special access, tours and dedicated initiatives, and the events feed into the Council of Europe’s pan-European portal.

For organisers: bodies, institutions and cultural associations can take part by submitting the event form to their regional Museums Directorate by September 8, 2026, following the guidelines published by the Ministry.

Our digital walk: for these Days, Cultural Heritage Online is publishing an itinerary across the six bridges that hold Venice up — from the Liberty Bridge to the Bridge of Sighs, with a map, documented entries and downloadable GPX tracks. It can be followed from home, or on foot in an afternoon.