Fusion Between People
Four days in Bari where Rotary districts meet, and act together.
Photo © Giovanni Carrieri
In Bari, no one is a stranger.
Who welcomes you to Bari
As Convener of this summit and as President of Rotary International, it is our pleasure to invite you to Bari from 23 to 26 September 2027. Four days in which the districts of zones 14–21, from Europe to the Middle East, meet to listen to one another and to act together.
Our theme, «Fusion Between People», says something simple: connections between people come before programmes, and they are what makes our work last. Bari has known this for four thousand years, as a Mediterranean port where no one is a stranger.
In the three days before the summit, from 20 to 22 September, the GELS, GNLS and PLS seminars will take place for incoming governors and their partners.
We look forward to welcoming you to Bari. Places will be limited: it is worth moving early.
Not just a gathering but a platform of connections.
For four thousand years Bari has been a gateway on the Mediterranean: people arrive, meet, and leave changed.
The summit reads that inheritance as a working method: Bari is not the backdrop, it is the meeting point between districts, clubs and generations.
Tradition
Roots, culture and history — an identity built over centuries.
Research
Ideas and networks — the connections that shape what comes next.
Cooperation
Districts working as one across borders and generations.
Peace
A bridge between East and West, built by people who show up.
One city. The districts of two continents.
Two moments, one journey
GELS · GNLS · PLS
Governors-Elect, Governors-Nominee and Partners Learning Seminars: training for incoming governors and their partners, in the three days before the summit.
The Summit
Plenaries, thematic sessions, the House of Friendship and the social programme.
Voices at the summit
Leaders, practitioners and partners from across the districts — the full list grows as the programme is confirmed.
Massimo Ballotta
Convener
RID 2026-2028
Antonio B. Braia
Chair
IPDG RI District 2120
Soffia Gisladottir
Co-Convenor
RID 2026-2028
Steve Martin
Co-Convenor
RID 2027-2029
Birgitta Radermacher
Co-Convenor
RID 2027-2029
Emmanuel Katongole
Co – Convenor
RID 2026-2028
Two houses, one city
Prestigious venues for a summit to remember: a congress centre on the waterfront and the theatre at the centre of Bari's public life.
The Nicolaus Hotel
Plenary sessions, thematic tracks, the House of Friendship and the exhibition area.
Teatro Piccinni
The opening ceremony and the summit's official moments, in the historic centre.
Institutional partners
Partner
Photo © Giovanni Carrieri
Bari is not where the summit takes place. It is where you will feel at home.