The Last weekend the “Mascarata” event took place, a celebratory and cultural day in the city of Ragusa. An initiative that was very successful and received a lot of participation. How did the idea for Mascarata come about? We asked Nando Chessari, one of the organizers of the event.
Nando, tell us about the initial idea for Mascarata
The idea of Mascarata starts from the need to have a Ragusan festival, to celebrate the beauty of the city and the Ragusans who live it with passion. It was born from the desire to cancel the divisions that have always divided our territory, almost like that catastrophic earthquake of 1693. In fact, the event took place in the two historic centers of Ragusa, to put aside certain parochialisms, and enhance the its uniqueness. The term “Mascarata” merges the two main elements of this event: masks and parade. The highlight of the festival took place on Sunday, with a parade that connected the two main squares, starting from Piazza San Giovanni up to Piazza Duomo.
This initiative therefore starts from the birth of a completely new association: Pietra Viva. What is it about?
The Pietra Viva Association is an association that aims to promote socio-cultural activities within the Iblean territory. It is mainly made up of young people who love the city, have studied in Ragusa and are doing everything they can to stay here, even working-wise. The territory is fertile and the desire to promote it and make it grow with events and other cultural activities is great. The association identifies the mask as a neutral symbol of the Ragusa baroque, the masks are attentive and present witnesses of the evolutionary history of the city.
What was it like for you to organize Mascarata?
We have been working on this event for exactly one year, from the first ideas to the final measures. A year made up of very long evenings in which we met to find a format suitable for the city, in which we asked ourselves what the critical issues could be in order to try to resolve them and challenge ourselves. We were surprised by the river of people who passed through Ragusa in this event: from the parade to the theatrical performances, to the round table, the cultural walks and the ghost tour. Each event was well attended, and we are happy to share this success with the people of Ragusa, given that it was an event totally organized for the love of the city and the citizens who dedicated themselves to the territory: two figures from Ragusa were remembered in this event, from the most recent Maestro Giuseppe Leone to Prof. Spadola, both attentive observers and interpreters of the Iblean masks.
Will there be a goodbye to Mascarata 2025?
Our intent is to create an event in which citizens can recognize themselves and which can become identifiable for Ragusa. The numbers and feedback are on our side, so we hope so.
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