This morning ten cities across Italy waited anxiously for the announcement of the winner of the Capitale italiana della Cultura (the Italian Capital of Culture) for the 2022. It was with great joy–and an explosion of cheers and tears–from the organizing committee and mayor, when the island of Procida was announced as the winner for 2022. This tiny island off the coast of Naples beat out some serious contenders among the other finalists: Ancona, Bari, Cerveteri, L’Aquila, Pieve di Soligo, Taranto, Trapano, Verbania, and Volterra. Congratulations to Procida on creating a proposal that highlighted the island’s history, rich culture, beauty, and its most special feature – the people. The title of their project says it all: La cultura non isola (Culture does not isolate). I love the wordplay on “isola,” which also means “island.”
The Capitale italiana della Cultura was created in 2014 by Dario Franceschini, the Minister of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, who made today’s announcement via live streaming rather than a presentation ceremony due to Covid-19 restrictions. The initiative is dedicated to enhancing Italy’s cultural landscape and one city per year is selected among the cities that candidate themselves for the title. The winning city gets a significant amount of attention and promotion as well as a large prize (I’ve read €1 million Euros) to finance their proposed projects.
Procida is one of my favorite places in Campania – hands down no contest! I’ve spent some of the most beautiful days on the island and you’ll even find a large section on Procida in my guidebook Moon Amalfi Coast. I’m so pleased for this much-deserved win for Procida and I look forward to seeing the island’s projects come to life. You can find out more on the Procida 2022 website.
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