The 2026 Giro d’Italia of Pediatric Palliative Care starts from Florence.
The 2026 Giro d’Italia of Pediatric Palliative Care starts from Florence.
The guiding theme of the 2026 edition is the “Caring Community”: a model that brings together hospitals, local services, schools, the third sector, and civil society around the child and their family.
The conference was attended by institutions, healthcare professionals, and representatives of civil society, together with the General Director of the Meyer Health Campus, Paolo Morello Marchese. The Minister for Disabilities, Alessandra Locatelli, also took part via a video message.
The proceedings were concluded by the Health Director of Meyer, Emanuele Gori, who announced that the facility will be completed by 2026 and is expected to open at the beginning of 2027.
The Caring Community: no family should be left alone.
“Every child and every family has the right to feel supported throughout their entire care journey. With the Giro d’Italia delle Cure Palliative Pediatriche, we want to shine a light on a need that is still too little known and promote a culture that brings together expertise, solidarity, and civic participation,” emphasized Costanza Lefebvre d’Ovidio, Vice President of the Fondazione Maruzza Lefebvre d’Ovidio ETS.
The discussion addressed different perspectives: the clinical one with Fabio Borrometi; the nursing education perspective with Moreno Crotti Partel; and the pediatric contributions of Cristina Beltrami and Professor Michele Salata.
The Giro d’Italia delle Cure Palliative Pediatriche continues until June 14, with 83 events across almost all Italian regions.
The list of stops can be consulted here:
Giro delle Cure Palliative Pediatriche – official website
In Italy, only one in four children has access to pediatric palliative care.
Of the 30,000 minors in Italy who would need pediatric palliative care, only one in four is able to access it. The approximately 300 hospices across the country include only 7 facilities dedicated to pediatric care. In Tuscany alone, at least 660 families are currently facing the journey of an incurable illness affecting their children, without a structured support network able to assist them.
Casa Marta was created to respond to this need: the first Pediatric Palliative Care Center in Tuscany. It will serve as a point of connection, an ideal bridge between the Meyer Health Campus and home care, a place where clinical care is integrated with social interaction, play, sharing, listening, and emotional support.
Our slogan has always been: “A home like home.”
“For us, it is extremely important that any child who comes here feels at home. Casa Marta is a highly specialized healthcare facility where the clinical expertise of the Meyer Children’s Hospital meets the social work approach of the Fondazione Casa Marta.”
Benedetta Fantugini, President of the Fondazione Casa Marta
At the end of the conference, the stop at Casa Marta turned into a moment of conviviality and play, accompanied by ice cream offered by Gelateria Badiani. It also became an opportunity—thanks to the beautiful weather—to guide participants through the facility, illustrating in detail the functions of each space and sharing the results of the work carried out over the past few years.