«The inclusion of Taurianova among the Municipalities that will compete for the title of Italian Book Capital 2024 fills us with pride. It would be the right recognition for a place rich in history and culture that deserves to be known and recognized by the whole of Italy.” This is what the metropolitan mayor, Giuseppe Falcomatà, and the delegated councilor for Culture, Filippo Quartuccio, say, promoting Taurianova in the challenge that sees it competing for the ambitious recognition with the Potenza-based Tito, Grottaferrata, San Mauro Pascoli in the province of Forlì-Cesena and Trapani.
«Taurianova – explained Falcomatà and Quartuccio – is reaping the fruits of a program that makes culture an authentic driving force for growth and development of the territory. In this sense, the Metropolitan City, also with the Biblioculture projects, with the strengthening of the book supply for the libraries of the Municipalities, and the recently concluded Book and Reading Festival, has followed a precise path with respect to which we have recorded truly exceptional”.
«Today – they continued – represents an opportunity to appreciate the incredible historical, artistic and cultural heritage that the entire Gioia Tauro plain brings with it. Taurianova, let’s not forget, gave birth to valuable artists, poets and writers such as Tiberius Florentino, “the Shakespearean Hamlet applauded by his emigrant companions Rodolfo Valentino and Beniamino Gigli” described by Cardona in the “Spoon river taurianovese”, the Latinist Francesco Sofia Alessio or Pietro Barillà, head of the Art Institute of Naples. And they are just some illustrious ancestors of a land that, since the times of ancient Radicena, has established itself on the international cultural scene.”
«But the opportunity – continued the administrators – is tempting for the whole of Calabria which has already known Vibo Valentia as the Italian capital of books only a few years ago. In short, Taurianova would be a confirmation of the great capabilities of a territory and the incredible potential of a metropolitan area and a region which have the obligation to continue investing in the image and beauty of their places”.
«Therefore – concluded the mayor Falcomatà and the councilor Quartuccio – we wait with trepidation for the commission to make its definitive choice, aware, however, that the presence of Taurianova in the quintet of finalists represents a title that promotes an ambitious cultural project full of charm carried forward, with dedication, commitment and sacrifice, by bodies, associations and educational institutions which, every day, spend themselves for the good of the community”.
Trapani, the only Sicilian city among the finalists for the title of Italian Book Capital 2024
The city is ready for the hearings which will take place via videoconference with the Ministry of Culture on January 31st starting at 9.30am. The city of Trapani will be connected from the suggestive reading room of the Fardelliana Library. The hearing will be chaired by the mayor of Trapani Giacomo Tranchida, supported by the councilor for Culture, Rosalia d’Alì, and the designer of the candidacy dossier, Federico Costanza. The entire hearing will be accessible live on the Facebook page of the ministry, of the city of Trapani, of Trapani, capital of Euro-Mediterranean cultures and of the Fardelliana library. Representatives of the associations, as well as institutions and cultural operators, will attend the hearing. «This initiative reflects the commitment of the Trapani community to demonstrating its value as a cultural centre. The participation in the dossier of various cultural realities of society demonstrates the broad support and enthusiasm for the candidacy. The city is preparing to exhibit its literary and cultural qualities in the hope of obtaining recognition as the 2024 Italian Book Capital, with the final decision expected during the month of February”, reads a note from the Municipality.