Ten cities in January si will contend for the title Mibact. The case of Procida, the only island in the race.
It will be an exciting start to the year to compete for the prize of Italian Capital of Culture 2022. Ten mayors representing a country distressed by Covid 19 but not defeated. They are from the North, the Center and the South. They have aspirations and a desire to recover by having the most powerful means available: history and culture. What better care could they receive in these complicated days from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, if not a summons for the next 14th and 15th January in Rome? In front of a jury they will hold a public hearing and present their dossier. To win , of course, although all friends.
The first citizens of Ancona, Bari, Cerveteri, L'Aquila, Pieve di Soligo, Procida, Taranto, Trapani, Verbania, Volterra. Everyone will go to Rome with the hope of receiving the Prize from the hands of Minister Dario Franceschini and enjoying it for an entire year.
Already coveted before the coronavirus, the palm for 2022 is even more so now, a year of afflictions. There is a desire to rediscover a calm time, with the epidemic eradicated and overwhelmed by a great desire to live. With people who will be able to meet, visit, study, browse sites and environments full of glory.
The selection took place among 28 cities, all worthy candidates, while Parma maintains the authority of Capital (extended) for 2021. The finalists are in celebration having surpassed friendly and often neighboring cities.
The step forward of Procida is striking in the ranking. City-island, welcoming port of the Mediterranean, the only non-mainland competitor to have passed the first exam. The small island in the Gulf of Naples had already made headlines in February, presenting the candidacy. A small seductive community, sustainable – as they say – in the soul and in the stones, in competition with larger and more connected, interacting cities.
The particularity of the sea, then. Something magical that convinced the Roman experts to include Procida in the top ten? “We are proud – says Mayor Dino Ambrosino. With this candidacy Procida tries to represent the small islands and the entire Phlegrean area. The sea has never been an obstacle for us, but the bond that binds us to the whole Mediterranean”. A starting point, perhaps more, for social cohesion, conflict-free integration, creativity, innovation, growth, individual and collective well-being.
The islands know they have to defend themselves. They have always fought to survive everything and anyone who wanted to rape their identity. They know how to compete. But islands are like ideas, says Agostino Riitano, director of the Procida bid. Deserted, fascinating, "they act as reserves, capture stories and shelter men". He conceived a pro Capital of Culture community project before Covid, aggregating Universities, research institutions, associations, artists. Creatives dream of redesigning walls, ravines, squares, in a sympathetic embrace with real people. The soul and colors of Troisi's “Postino” have never gone away. The recently re-elected municipal administration has made the challenge for the 2022 recognition a distinctive feature of its commitment in the heart of the Mediterranean. After all, January's call to Rome rewarded the tenacity of believing in victory.
