Florence will turn pink on Sunday, September 27, when thousands of runners and walkers take to the streets for the 24th edition of Corri La Vita, the city’s much-loved annual celebration of sport, culture and solidarity in support of breast cancer prevention and care.
Now one of Florence’s most recognizable community events, Corri La Vita brings together people of all ages for a day that extends well beyond the race itself. The official Ferragamo-designed T-shirt, this year in a vivid cyclamen shade, will once again become a familiar sight, while museums, historic buildings and lesser-known cultural treasures open their doors to participants.
The event will be officially started by Claudio Stecchi, Italy’s indoor pole-vault record holder.
In 2025, more than 40,000 people took part, and the organizers are expecting another large turnout this year.
A charity run + walk through Florence
The 2026 edition begins at 9.15am in viale Lincoln, in the Cascine park, before winding through streets and landmarks and finishing in piazza della Signoria. There are two routes to choose from: a 6.1km walk and a more demanding 13.3km course. The longer route takes participants through areas including San Niccolò and piazzale Michelangelo before returning towards the historic centre, while both routes eventually converge on piazza della Signoria. Participants will also receive an “emotional bib”, with space to write a name, dedication or personal motivation for taking part.
Cultural visits
Wearing the official 2026 T-shirt, presenting a registration certificate or showing proof of a minimum 10 euro donation gives participants access to a range of cultural venues, including special openings and places that are rarely accessible to the public.
Among this year’s highlights are Palazzo Strozzi’s new exhibition Broken. The Power of the Fragment; Palazzo Buontalenti hosting OPEN: A New Civic Space for Art and Science; and Museo Sant’Orsola, offering a glimpse inside the former Benedictine monastery as it undergoes its transformation through art and urban regeneration. The programme also opens the door to some quieter treasures, including the Museo Oratorio di San Sebastiano de’ Bini, the former convent of San Giovanni della Calza, the Museo della Misericordia and the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno. The morning route itself includes stops at places such as Santo Spirito, Giardino Bardini, San Giorgio alla Costa and the Società Canottieri, giving walkers an opportunity to combine kilometres with cultural discovery.
The programme reaches across Tuscany, with participating institutions including the Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci in Prato and the Museo della Paglia in Signa, alongside venues belonging to the MUDEV network in the Empolese Valdelsa.
Health prevention
From September 25 to 27, the Villaggio della Salute will take over piazza della Repubblica, with activities, consultations and information devoted to wellbeing and prevention.
Mammography screening will be available on Saturday and Sunday aboard the mobile unit donated by Corri La Vita to ISPRO, while LILT Firenze will offer free melanoma screening from a mobile clinic in piazza della Signoria, both by appointment.
The programme also includes nutrition advice, with sessions dedicated to healthy eating and the Mediterranean diet, alongside fitness activities ranging from Pilates and postural training to yoga and functional workouts.
From the Arno to photo finishes
The event’s message of solidarity will also take to the water. The Florence Dragon Lady LILT will paddle along the Arno, continuing a tradition that highlights the role of sport in rehabilitation following breast cancer.
The university community will be represented too, with Erasmus students and teachers joining the event as part of European Week of Sport. For companies and sports clubs, there is also an opportunity to turn participation into a team effort: awards will go to the three largest groups, each with at least 100 participants.
Photography enthusiasts can join the annual “La foto più bella per Corri La Vita” competition, capturing their own view of the day.
A T-shirt with a purpose
The cyclamen-pink T-shirt is more than the symbol of the event. A minimum €10 donation helps fund Corri La Vita’s work supporting breast cancer prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and quality of life. For those unable to come to Florence, the T-shirt can also be ordered online, with delivery available across Italy while stocks last.
Since its first edition in 2003, Corri La Vita has raised more than €10.2 million and involved over 580,000 participants, supporting projects and services for women affected by breast cancer. This year, funding will continue to support diagnostic services at Careggi University Hospital, oncological rehabilitation at Ce.Ri.On. Ispro-Lilt at Villa delle Rose, training for young doctors through SenoNetwork, and the work of the Fondazione Italiana di Leniterapia (FILE). The Corri La Vita call for projects is also expanding nationally in 2026, extending support to selected projects elsewhere in Italy.
