Life in common for people from different cultures and ethnicities is a source for social innovation and development, as well as a matter of conflicts, social exclusion and manipulation. Institutional forms of learning are possible as long as they deal with both respect for differences, and the tensions often arising when living with others. In such a perspective, the authors of this paper discuss the policies for Romany people implemented in Italy in recent years, their failures as well as their innovations, as a relevant lesson to be learned by planners and policy makers involved in such complex socio-cultural and political issues. They maintain that incrementalism can be a viable way to inhabit contradictions and conflicts arising in this policy field, provided that mutual trust and respect for the rules are in play.