The city council of Matera conferred three solemn commendations to citizens who have distinguished themselves in the world, ennobling the image of the city of the Sassi. A very prestigious recognition, which follows a precise institutional process before arriving at the highest level of the city. The winners are: Dante Maffia, Cristina Garzone and Filippo Gravina. Everyone has been able to immortalise, passing on to future generations places and faces, identifying symbols of the territory and of a thousand-year history. Garzone is a photographer of undisputed international fame, originally from Grassano; in her career she has received countless awards, including in April 2020 the highest honor in international photography Mfiap (Maitre de la Federation Internationale de l’Art Photographique), still being, to this day, the first and only Italian female photographer to have achieved such an important title. Among the various projects carried out, Garzone also immortalizes the ancient patronal feast of the Madonna della Bruna. Through the power of her photographs, she manages to capture the profound sign of love and devotion for her land, highlighting the most intense moments that mark, step by step, the most important day for every Matera native. Maffia, poet, novelist and essayist of undisputed international fame, is originally from Roseto Capo Spulico (Cs); in his career he has received countless awards including, in March 2004, the Gold Medal for merit in culture and art and in December 2010, the Giacomo Matteotti Prize for literature. For many years now, among the various published works, Maffia has also praised the city of Matera and through the power of his verses, he manages to convey the profound sign of his love for the city. As in the “Matera Elegies” and in the volume “Matera and a woman”. With her verses he contributed to spreading the feeling of deep connection with the city of Matera, describing the most salient and genuine traits that characterize the history and the inhabitants. Gravina was born in Matera and emigrated to Canada in the 1980s, where over the years he has played a central role within the Italian-Canadian community and beyond. In fact, to support the Italian community present in Canada, Gravina founded several organizations whose objective has always been to promote education, culture and the integration of newcomers into the Canadian social fabric; all this through the creation of cultural events such as festivals, exhibitions, concerts and theatrical performances. Gravina was also a great supporter of charitable social activities, and above all he worked to raise funds for cancer research, help families in difficulty and victims of natural disasters around the world.
