L'Aquila is the Italian Capital of
Culture 2026, Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said on
Thursday.
He made the announcement during a ceremony at the ministry in
Rome, in the presence of the jury chaired by journalist and
writer Davide Maria Desario.
The other cities in the running for the one million euro in
state funding to implement the projects set out in their bid
were Agnone (province of Isernia), Alba (Cuneo), Gaeta (Latina),
Latina, Lucera (Foggia), Maratea (Potenza), Rimini, Treviso, and
a union of municipalities in Valdichiana Senese (Siena).
"L'Aquila is about to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the
earthquake, an event that affected us not only as institutions,
but also as citizens," said L'Aquila Pierluigi Biondi referring
to the 6.3 magnitude earthquake on April 6, 2009, that killed
309 people in the Abruzzo regional capital and surrounding towns
and villages, left 1,500 people injured and tens of thousands
more without homes and caused billions of euro in damage to
infrastructure and cultural heritage.
"Being the Italian capital of culture is not a compensation but
an element around which to rebuild the social fabric of our
community," continued Biondi.
"Culture is a founding element, it is recovery of identity and
projection into the future," he added.
"The other finalist cities will be part of this journey. We
guarantee that we will be up to the task assigned to us... long
live Italy," concluded Biondi.
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