Your cart is currently empty!
Every summer, the walls of Castello di Magione welcome a different kind of heritage from the one carried by its wine: the tradition of hospitality and service to those in need that has guided the Sovereign Military Order of Malta for centuries. From 27 July to 1 August, the Umbrian estate of Terre dei Cavalieri once again hosted the Italian Summer Camp (CEI), now in its twelfth edition.
A week built on inclusion
More than 150 people — young volunteers and young people with disabilities from across Italy — shared a week of recreational, sporting and cultural activities, along with moments of reflection such as the traditional “Silent Night” and a parade in medieval costume. The theme chosen for the 2026 edition, “How much good there is in the world“, ran through the whole programme: founded in 2012 after a longstanding international event, the Italian Summer Camp is organised by the Order’s various components — Grand Priories, Delegations, the Italian Association and the Italian Relief Corps — and forms part of a wider circuit of disability-focused activities that the Order of Malta also runs in Spain, Lebanon and Hungary.
Institutional recognition
The opening ceremony was attended by the Order’s international leadership — including Grand Commander Fra’ Emmanuel Rousseau — alongside local authorities: the President of the Umbria Region, Stefania Proietti, who awarded the Region’s coat of arms to the Italian Summer Camp in recognition of the initiative, and the Mayor of Perugia, Vittoria Ferdinandi, ANCI delegate for inclusion and disability policies, who described the experience as “a precious asset for the whole country”.
For Terre dei Cavalieri, which has preserved the Order of Malta’s agricultural vocation at Castello di Magione for centuries, hosting this gathering means rediscovering, for one week, the most authentic meaning of its own history: a place where care for the land and care for one’s neighbour spring from the same root.
The event also received coverage from local and national press, including Corriere dell’Umbria, La Nazione and the ANSA news agency — a sign of the attention the Italian Summer Camp continues to draw well beyond Umbria.