ACES Europe honours the “Oltregiogo – In Novitate Vitam” project: 30 municipalities from four regions, led by Novi Ligure. Official presentation to CONI in Rome on Monday, 26 October.
Oltregiogo is the European Community of Sport 2028. The award was given by ACES Europe to the “Oltregiogo – In Novitate Vitam” project, which involves 30 municipalities in the area, with Novi Ligure as the lead municipality. Across Italy, for 2028, only three Communities have been honoured: alongside Oltregiogo, Medio Friuli and the United Etruscan Lands.
The official presentation in Rome
The official ceremony and presentation of the award will take place on Monday, 26 October 2026, at 10:30 a.m., in the CONI Hall of Honour in Rome. On the same occasion, the ACES-designated areas for 2026 and 2027 will also be celebrated.
A journey that began long ago
The title was awarded at the end of an assessment process that involved the submission of the application dossier and a visit by the ACES Europe Commission, which took place in our area on 18, 19 and 20 September. It is a journey that the Oltregiogo Association had begun in December 2025 in Brussels, in the Alcide De Gasperi Hall of the European Parliament, with a specific objective: to nominate Oltregiogo as the European Community of Sport 2028.
Thirty municipalities, four regions, one team
The project brings together 30 local authorities from Piedmont, Liguria, Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna, representing approximately 90,000 inhabitants: from municipalities with just over 100 residents to towns with more than 25,000. A nomination also supported by the four regions.
ACES Europe has recognised precisely this ability to work as a team across administrative boundaries, offering every organisation, even the smallest, the opportunity to participate in a joint sports project.
What it means for Oltregiogo
With this title, the area joins the ACES international network, which collaborates with UNESCO and UCLG – United Cities and Local Governments and is an official partner of the European Commission for the European Week of Sport. For our municipalities, this translates into three tangible opportunities:
- Networking: bringing administrations together under a single sports banner and sharing experiences and good practices with other European regions.
- Looking to Europe: being able to take part together in European calls for proposals dedicated to sport.
- Attracting tourism and enhancing identity: making sport a driver for active tourism and for showcasing a geographical area that is administratively divided but united in its ambitions.
The award also represents an important step towards another major goal of the Association: the recognition of Oltregiogo as an Interregional Tourism District.
Towards 2028
The title is a starting point: in 2028, the programmes presented in the dossier will become tangible activities for residents, sports clubs and visitors. In the coming months, the area will organise a major festival of sport and togetherness to celebrate the achievement together with the local communities.
The Oltregiogo Association would like to thank the municipal authorities, the regions, the sports associations and everyone who has contributed to achieving this result.
About the Oltregiogo Association
The Oltregiogo Association is a non-profit organisation founded in 2000 that promotes and enhances the Oltregiogo area through initiatives, projects and events, to raise awareness of its natural, cultural and historical beauty.
