“Cities and water” will be the theme of the second edition of the Festival of the Cities of the Middle Ages scheduled in L’Aquila from Thursday 4 to Sunday 7 July 2024
L’Aquila – The capital of Abruzzo will go back in time for the second edition of Festival of the Cities of the Middle Ages, an exhibition that puts the charm of a bygone era at the center of the city. “Cities and water” will be the theme of the second edition, scheduled in L’Aquila from Thursday 4 to Sunday 7 July 2024 between re-enactments, lessons and musical activities. The heart of the Festival, for all the days of the event, will be the Auditorium of the Castle Park, for an event which, like last year, combines scientific dissemination, folklore and entertainment, re-enactment and academia, literature and citizen associations.
The water resource has always influenced the choices of human settlement and its exploitation has designed the spaces of the landscape and its human presence. The culture of water has in fact left us material, artistic and archaeological traces in different eras and latitudes: in the four days of the Festival we will talk about water understood as a strategic, social and political tool through a series of high-level meetings with historians , archaeologists and writers and journalists. The days will be marked by major macro-themes: Seas and oceans And Water in everyday life (Friday 5 July); Stories around water (Saturday 6 July), Rivers of Europe and Maritime Republics (Sunday 7 July).
Thursday 4 July: in the evening institutional greetings from the mayor of L’Aquila Pierluigi Biondi and the rector of the University of L’Aquila Edoardo Alesse; presentation of the theme by the scientific curators, the archaeologist Alfonso Forgione and the historian Amedeo Feniello of the University of L’Aquila; lesson-show by the actress and director Laura Moranteon the union between water and stone.
Friday 5 July: we start with the lesson Andrea Augenti, Archaeological Adriatic; following Francesco Paolo Toccowith Mediterranean of Muslims; Luca Molàwith The Indian Ocean of the Polo family;Marco Aime with A sea of sand: the sultan’s caravan. The afternoon opens with Pierluigi Terenziwith The disputed waters of L’Aquila, on the very close relationship that L’Aquila had with water, from the beginning, with fountains and aqueducts at the center of the rules of coexistence, disputes and political decisions; Then Francesca Sogliani Water in a rock site: the Matera case; Francesca Romana Stasollawith Spas in the city. Following is the conversation between two great historians of the Middle Ages: Franco Cardini And José Enrique Ruiz-Domènec will have as its theme, Ulysses’ dream: a human story of the Mediterranean, a global walk through a multicultural Mediterranean with a particular focus on the ten fervent centuries of the medieval age. The author’s evening will have Friday as its protagonist Dario Fabbrigeopolitical analyst and director of the magazine “Domino” who, with the lesson-show Geopolitics of water, it will help us understand how access to water influences international relations and power dynamics between states.
Saturday 6 July: insights from the professors of the University of L’Aquila Marcello Di Risio, Andrea Bernardoni (Leonardo da Vinci and water), and the archaeologist Alfonso Forgione. The morning will be closed by a speech by Federica Zalabra, regional director of the Museums of Abruzzo. In the afternoon Franco Franceschi will tell Stories of wool and silk, on the spectacle of the mills perpetually in motion with their large wheels in the river cities; it will then be the turn of Magdalena Léon Gomez will talk about The rivers of Spain, while Antonio Musarra will delve deeper into the topic of The nautical revolution of the Middle Ages. With the lesson Frederick II of Swabia: the route of peace, Fulvio delle Donne will take us on a journey from the Adriatic to the banks of the Jordan talking about the “against the current” crusade of Frederick II of Swabia, while the Byzantine Peter Schreiner will illustrate the extraordinary history of Constantinople The sea of Byzantium. In the end Amedeo Feniello And Alessandro Vanoliwith the lesson-show “Confinements”, will guide us on a dream journey along the shores of the Mediterranean.
Sunday July 7: for the session dedicated to the Rivers of Europe, Aldo Ferrari will talk about The Volga between Christianity and Islam; Elisabeth Crouzet-Pavan will take us to Paris with The Seine in medieval history And Amedeo Feniello will tell the many nuances of Thames. In the end Umberto Longopresident of the Italian Historical Institute for the Middle Ages, will hold a lesson on one of the most important Italian rivers: The Tiber, vein of history.
The afternoon will be dedicated to the Maritime Republics, the Italian city-states which, during the Middle Ages, achieved notable development thanks to their maritime power: Venice (Luciano Pezzolo), Genoa (Gabriella Airaldi), Amalfi (Bruno Figliuolo), Pisa (Lorenzo Tanzini).
Therefore important moments of in-depth analysis with quality guests, but also collateral events for adults and children: one will be set up book Fair, with all the news from the major publishing houses and the great classics on the theme and ample space will be given to historical re-enactments, workshops, shows and guided tours. Everything will have as its center the “Reenactors’ Village”, a medieval citadel in front of the Auditorium, with the camps of re-enactors from L’Aquila and historical reconstruction associations from other Italian regions. The famous Battle of L’Aquila, in which the people of L’Aquila defeated Mutton armwhich had kept the city under siege for thirteen months, will be remembered in the context of the anniversary (1424-2024) with events and performances.
At the following link you can consult the complete program and follow the updates.
