The "Visionari" project
One year after its launch, Odissea Terra continues its journey with a new chapter dedicated to the "Visionari": personalities, leaders and interpreters of the present who are able to look beyond the immediate horizon, read the contradictions of our time, and transform intuition, responsibility and expertise into concrete opportunities for change.
Promoted by Fondazione Pesenti Ets, with the support of Italmobiliare and in collaboration with Fondazione Corriere della Sera, Odissea Terra was conceived as a journey into the present of future generations. It represents a cultural and civic choice, even before a communication initiative, grounded in the belief that sustainability cannot be reduced to a technical or environmental issue, but must be recognised as a shared responsibility, capable of embracing business, society, education, health, rights and intergenerational relationships.
In 2025, the project took shape through four public events addressing some of the key questions of our time: the risk of indifference in the face of environmental challenges; the role of knowledge as a compass for change; the urgency of climate justice; and the need to build shared pathways in an increasingly complex world. This journey engaged more than 1,200 attendees in person and an online audience of over 500,000 people, fostering a community of reflection and action and leading to the creation of digital content and a podcast series designed to expand the debate.
2026 marks the beginning of a new phase, dedicated to the Visionari. These are not abstract or distant figures, but individuals equipped with imagination and responsibility, vision and practicality — people capable of making visible what is not yet seen and of pointing towards possible directions when the present appears uncertain. In this sense, being visionary does not mean living in utopia, but transforming ideas into pathways, dreams into strategies, and values into measurable results.
The first event of this new cycle, “Health: sustainability in care”, brought sustainability back to its most essential dimension. Care is presented both as a fundamental right and as a collective responsibility, linked to poverty, access to healthcare and health justice. In this context, the testimony of “visionaries” such as Don Dante Carraro — a priest and cardiologist leading Medici con l’Africa CUAMM — offered a direct perspective on the relationship between poverty, access to care and the protection of human dignity. Alongside this contribution, Alessandro D’Avenia and Silvana Signori provided insights that wove together experience, reflection and responsibility, showing how care is not merely an individual act, but a profound form of social sustainability.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Visionari journey then continued with “Is there space for women? Without equality, progress is uneven”, an event dedicated to equality as a process of cultural, social and civic evolution. The theme spans different generations: from the struggles that opened access to education and scientific professions for women, to a present where many achievements may seem established, yet still require awareness, commitment and vision.The story of Amalia Ercoli Finzi — the first woman in Italy to graduate in Aeronautical Engineering — stood at the heart of the discussion, becoming an emblematic example of how change originates from those who challenge perceived limits, thereby expanding the boundaries of what is possible for others. The discussion led to a broader reflection: equality is not only about women, but about society’s ability not to waste the energy, skills and vision essential for building the future.
 |
 |
 |
Ultimately, this is the true purpose of the Visionari project: to offer examples that open new paths — not to celebrate individual achievements, but to transform them into collective guidance. In this way, each event becomes a step in a journey that does not seek simple answers, but provides tools to interpret the present with greater depth and responsibility.