The Thàlassa – Storie dal Mare Festival continues with great participation, promoted by GALPA MariCal and conceived and artistically directed by Angelica Artemisia Pedatella. The project, financed under the Notice “Cultural Activities – Annual 2025” with POC Calabria resources 2014/2020 – Action 6.8.3., continues to enhance the sea as a cultural, economic and identity space through a rich calendar of theatrical performances, musical workshops, cooking workshops, training meetings and awareness-raising moments.
Opening the month of July, as part of the Intercultural Meetings on Water, will be a seminar dedicated to the discovery of marine dynamics and the extraordinary biodiversity present along the Calabrian coasts.
Understanding the sea to respect it and live it consciously: this is the objective of the seminar that will be held on July 4th, at the Casa della cultura, in Pizzo, conducted by marine biologist Laura Pirrera. An event designed for citizens, tourists and beach operators who wish to experience the summer season in a more conscious way, overcoming false alarmism and discovering the complex biology contained in our coasts.
During the meeting, the chemical-biological dynamics that regulate the marine ecosystem will be explained in a simple and accessible way. Among the central themes, particular attention will be dedicated to understanding the main natural phenomena that characterize the sea and the coasts, such as the so-called “green waters”, marine foams and pollen films often mistaken for pollution. We will also talk about the protection of coastal ecosystems, from the importance of dunes and Posidonia oceanica to the protection of Caretta caretta nests, up to the recognition of the main jellyfish species present in our seas and the correct safety rules for swimmers.
“Nature and the sea have a lot to offer man in terms of well-being and resources. However, to continue enjoying this immense heritage, we must first learn to know it, understand its rhythms and respect it in all its forms. The tourism of the future cannot ignore this awareness” underlines Pirrera.
The initiative represents an important opportunity for environmental education and promotion of a sustainable tourism model, capable of enhancing the natural heritage of Calabria through knowledge and respect for its ecosystems.
On Friday 17 July, the festival journey will continue, in the magical atmosphere of the Tonnara Museum, in Vibo Valentia, with “Nòstos. Sonu ca ‘ncanta”, the final show of the workshop The Nostoia production of the BA17 Theater Company, an artistic reality of excellence in the Calabrian area, which intertwines live music, dance, acting and video projections in a powerful narrative of identity.
Through the songs of popular tradition, from Returnella to Mokartathe show – which will also arrive in the Murat Castle of Pizzo on 21 July – tells the story of the local communities, giving voice to the men and women who have entrusted their existential stories to popular songs, often absent from official historiography.
At the center of the narrative is the story of a young southern woman who moved to Northern Italy, who, following an apparently insignificant event, understands the need to rediscover her roots to rebuild her inner balance. A symbolic journey that highlights the value of memory, identity and belonging.
The waves of the sea, a metaphor for travel and return, become the underlying theme of a musical fairy tale with a strong emotional impact, in which individual stories and collective memory meet.
The protagonists of the show with a great emotional impact are the musical performance by Daniele Fabio, Calabrian performer, guitarist and composer of international standing, the spectacular choreographies created and interpreted by the dancers Giada Guzzo and Raphael Burgo, the emotional story of the director, author and performer and creator of the festival, Angelica Artemisia Pedatella.
The show – which includes limited entrances via invitation or participation in seminar meetings – represents one of the most significant expressions of the artistic research carried out by the BA17 Theater Company, which experiments with innovative forms of concert theater within the broader narrative regeneration project of the territory called “Calabrian Renaissance”.