The University of Perugia and the University for Foreigners of Perugia were the only Italian universities to represent Italy at the 6th University Presidents for Peace Conference, held on 6 August in Hiroshima (Japan) and promoted by Hiroshima University. The event brought together Rectors and representatives of universities from all over the world.
The joint participation of both Universities holds particular significance for Umbria, a land where the theme of peace is deeply rooted: from Francis of Assisi to Aldo Capitini and Franco Rasetti, from the Perugia-Assisi Peace March to the many initiatives promoted today by universities, often in collaboration with local institutions, at both national and international level.
According to the Rector of the University of Perugia, Prof. Massimiliano Marianelli, “Being here together has a value that goes beyond the mere presence of individual universities, enriching it with a shared commitment that is deeply tied to our historical and cultural traditions, thereby extending and strengthening its impact. Indeed, Perugia brings to Hiroshima and Nagasaki a unique history and sense of responsibility. It is the land of Francis of Assisi and Aldo Capitini, but also of Franco Rasetti, the scientist who refused to participate in the Manhattan Project for the development of the first atomic bomb. Ours is a history that today calls on us to transform remembrance into responsibility, and knowledge into a tool for dialogue and peace.”
The University of Perugia has been an active promoter of the "Universities, Bridges of Peace" project, which culminated on 25 February 2026 with the signing in Assisi—an event that also saw the University for Foreigners of Perugia among the first signatories, together with sixteen other Italian and international universities, of the "Charter of Assisi". This document reminds universities of their responsibility to foster knowledge, dialogue, and the building of relationships among peoples and cultures. We would therefore like to extend our sincere thanks to the University for Foreigners of Perugia and to Rector Prof. De Cesaris, for their willingness and conviction in helping to bring our shared ideals of peace to the world.”
For the Rector of the University for Foreigners of Perugia, Prof. Valerio De Cesaris, “The joint presence of the two Perugia universities in Hiroshima and Nagasaki reflects a responsibility that the University is called upon to assume with even greater force in the current international context. In the face of the rehabilitation of war and the logic of rearmament, universities can and must offer other tools: education, culture, research, and that cultural diplomacy which enables us to see the Other not as a threat, but as a counterpart. Peace is not only a principle to be asserted, but a process to be built through knowledge and encounter. This is why international academic cooperation and student mobility are so important beyond education alone: enabling young people to travel for study and to learn new languages, cultures, and perspectives means making a tangible contribution to bridging divides and fostering the conditions for dialogue. This is the responsibility we feel in a special way as the University for Foreigners, and which we intend to continue sharing with the University of Perugia and our international partners.”
The mission of the two universities therefore continued in Nagasaki, where representatives from both Perugia universities took part in meetings and commemorations linked to the memory of the atomic bombing, continuing the discussion and strengthening ties with the Japanese university system.
The presence of the two Universities is thus testimony to the distinctive international vocation of Perugia—and of Umbria: an academic space which, through institutions with different histories and missions, finds in peace, intercultural exchange and the responsibility of knowledge a shared ground upon which to build new international relations.