Reggio remains in full swing for the nomination as Italian Capital of Culture 2027. The candidacy of the city of the Strait, unique between Calabria and Sicily, is among the ten finalists identified by the Ministry of Culture and made official yesterday. The jury, chaired by the journalist and writer Davide Maria Desario, discarded in this first phase the nominations of Aiello Calabro (Cs), Morano Calabro (Cs) and Taverna (Cz) for Calabria, of Mazzarino (Cl) for Sicily and of Acerra (Na), Caiazzo (Ce) and Santa Maria Capua Vetere (Ce). With Reggio Calabria, Alberobello (Ba), Aliano (Mt), Brindisi, Gallipoli (Le), La Spezia, Pompeii (Na), Pordenone, Sant’Andrea di Conza (Av) and Savona continue.
«The finalists – the Ministry announced – will be called for public hearings on 25 and 26 February. It will be an opportunity for each candidate to illustrate their project in detail to the experts who will have to evaluate them. For each dossier the hearings will last a maximum of 60 minutes, of which 30 for the presentation of the project and 30 for a session of questions asked by the jury”.
The proclamation of the Italian capital of culture will be held by March 28, 2025. The winning city will be awarded a financial contribution of one million euros to implement the initiatives and objectives outlined in the candidacy project.
“Reggio heart of the Mediterranean” is the claim of the candidacy promoted by the administration of Giuseppe Falcomatà. «Reggio Calabria, a crossroads of different and complementary cultures, is applying by focusing on its authenticity and its role as the center of gravity of the Mediterranean; always a place of meeting and welcome, the city promotes the culture of solidarity, inclusion and peaceful dialogue between peoples”, we read in the report delivered to the MiC. AND that of Falcomatà is a real challenge made up of suggestions that have taken shape over the years: «We have obtained a result that is already very important in itself. We are happy and satisfied – comments the mayor – that our proposal was taken into consideration and rewarded with reaching the final. Only a few years ago it would have been unthinkable to even imagine a candidacy for our city considering the starting point. Now not only have we had the ambition of the candidacy, but we have reached the final and we will fight for it until the end. It is an extraordinary result, also due to the meaning we gave to our proposal. “Reggio Heart of the Mediterranean”, crossroads of cultures, cradle of a thousand-year history and at the same time projected into the future, as the center of gravity of the Mare Nostrum, not only in a geographical sense, but a symbol of dialogue, cooperation, peace between the peoples between Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Ours has always been a community devoted to hospitality, solidarity, meeting, promoting the values of peace and dialogue. This characteristic of ours has already been rewarded with our arrival in the final and we – concludes Falcomatà – are proud of it».