Also Wednesday 8 Maystopping at Masswas held on ANCI workshops as part of the Giro-E, the bike experience that takes place until May 26th on the roads of the Giro d’Italia. A rich calendar of events as part of the broader support and financing program for Italian municipalities, based on National Youth Policy Fund.
The themes from which the discussion was inspired on the occasion were those of Young people and valorisation of resources, sport and intangible cultural heritage, for a lively day of work in the hospitality area of the Green Fun Village. Many very young people were present, particularly in the first part of the meeting which also saw the involvement of the local committees of the sports federations.
Among the speakers Francesco Persiani, Mayor of the Municipality of Massa, who attended the entire session: “I consider the participation of ANCI very important within the Giro-E, which facilitated the possibility of examining in depth important issues concerning sport, young people, the realities of the territory and the value of the Giro d’Italia, with everything that revolves around it. We participated with great pleasure, trying to make our contribution and listen to the reflections of the other speakers, in a moment of study and growth on topics to which we are very attached. We know that events like the Giro can increase attention on the world of sport and on young people above all, to whom we want to give support both with continuous initiatives throughout the year, in particular by involving schools to ensure that this reality is increasingly experienced as inclusion, participation, overall growth which also accompanies us towards other major themes, such as those of sustainable mobility and tourism and environmental protection”.
A day with interesting ideas second Andrea Cella, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Massa with responsibility for Productive Activities: “The workshop was useful for exploring important issues related to sport and also to what concerns our typical products and our territorial excellences, which are increasingly connected and valorised, also through the practice of sporting activity. In fact, many people today travel for outdoor activities and also come to this municipality to play sports, which often also involves sitting at the table and visiting the area. It is a topic of ever-increasing interest which is also linked to the promotion, including tourism, of our “intangible” heritage, such as the culture of food”.
For Giorgia Garau, Councilor for Tourism, Major Events and Youth Policies of the Municipality of Massa, member of the Young Administrators Council of ANCI, the day that united the passage of the Giro d’Italia, the start of the Giro-E and the ANCI workshop dedicated to young people is an important moment for the Municipality: “We are proud to have seen the Giro d’Italia and the Giro-E in our municipality, initiatives dedicated to sport and the green which have brought many young people to our territory. This morning the squares were full of school children and, as Councilor for Youth Policies, I am happy because these are opportunities to introduce young people to a current and ecological sport, such as cycling, which also on a tourist level, with bike-tourism, it brings many people to our municipalities.”
The first part of the work saw the interventions of local representatives of Federvolley (Fipav) and Federciclismo (Fci), sports that the boys and girls had the opportunity to try inside the Giro-E Green Fun Village during the morning, waiting for the start of the stage.
Manuel Buttini, Vice President of the FIPAV Tuscan Apennines Territorial Committee: “Moments like these are important for ‘minor’ sports, because it is not easy to find the right opportunities to present to boys and girls all the realities of the territory in which they live. A walkway like this, with the workshop and various sporting activities at the Green Fun Village, helps kids understand the opportunities for playing sports in their province and choose their own path. Playing sport today is fundamental for young people, because they grow up with values that are essential for a healthy and correct life.”
Samantha Cavaldonati, Tuscany regional councilor of the Italian Cycling Federation and President of Ciclo Abilia, a sports club that deals with paracycling: “When sport and culture, cycling and tourism intersect, it is a moment of inclusion and narration of our territory. This workshop was interesting and I believe that moments should be organized more often in which young people can get to know their territories and the various sporting realities active in the Municipalities, for which I thank ANCI for the opportunity given to us on the occasion of the passage of the Giro d ‘Italy and the Giro-E”.
The second part of the workshop dealt with the theme of experiences of valorisation of intangible heritage for local developmentwith the coordination of Vincenzo Santorohead of the Culture, Tourism and Agriculture Department of ANCI.
“The Giro-E is also an opportunity to talk about an Italy ‘different’ from that of the large centres, together with its treasures. On this topic, ANCI is carrying out a project for the census of the intangible heritage of small Italian municipalities together with the Union of Italian Pro Locos and the Central Institute for intangible heritage of the Ministry of Culture. With “intangible heritage” we refer to traditions, customs and ancient crafts that are still present in our country, especially in small municipalities. In Massa this project is described starting from the flower display in Fucecchio, a beautiful example of intangible heritage which sees the local community very present and very active”.
The flower display was created for the occasion by the Pro Loco of Fucecchio (Fi) in the Green Fun Village of the Giro-E.
Following are qualified interventions on the topics of the day by Massimiliano Falerniof the Pro Loco Union of Italy, on the UNPLI initiatives for the protection and valorisation of intangible heritage, of Giovanni VenegoniManaging Director of Bia srl, and of Elisa PigaProject manager of Bia, regarding the intangible cultural heritage of Italy, the digital platforms available for mapping and the projects currently underway.
During the initiative, the volunteers of the Pro Loco of Fucecchio created a themed flower display in the Green Fun Village of the Giro-E.
In addition to this, also from Massa, on Wednesday 8 May, shortly before the start of the workshop, the stage of the Giro-E started which ended in Lucca, below the finish line of the Giro d’Italia, and which saw an ANCI team, led by Giorgio Rocca and made up of local administrators and ambassadors of the area, also participated by bicycle.
