Conference & film screening: The Italians of Tunisia – A Story of Two-Way Migration

Invitation to a Conference & Film screening

The Italians of Tunisia: Trajectories of a Mediterranean Migration

Followed by the screening of the documentary “Il Posto degli Ulivi” (The Place of the Olive Trees) by Marcello Bivona

14th October 2025, 2:00 PM
Sala Anziani (Palazzo D’Accursio), Piazza Maggiore 6 – 40124 Bologna

In an age where migration involves complex sociocultural, economic, and emotional dimensions, it is particularly compelling to examine a little-known chapter of Mediterranean history: the long-standing connection between Tunisia and Italy.

This story is one of a two-way movement, whose directions have reversed over time. Yesterday from Italy to Tunisia, today from Tunisia to Italy. Two paths separated by over 150 years, which saw men, women, and children travel the same routes, driven by the same expectations and hopes.

Aware of the value and richness of this plural memory, the Tunisian Consulate in Bologna, in collaboration with the UNESCO Chair in Global Citizenship Education of the Alma Mater Studiorum and with the support of the Bologna City Council, organises a conference-debate. The event will draw upon four autobiographical novels by author Marinette Pendola—an Italian born in Tunisia to parents who were also Italians of Tunisia—to revisit a significant chapter of this shared history.

The conference will be followed by the screening of the documentary «Il posto degli ulivi» (The Place of the Olive Trees) by Marcello Bivona, which will offer further food for thought and testimony.

We look forward to seeing you!