A light rain that fell just when the sunset should have colored the inauguration of the show dedicated to the summer solstice with light did not ruin the event nor undermine the determination and obstinacy with which the 780 spectators of the new Popsophia summer show open the umbrella waiting for the start.
An evening event, a great occasion, welcomed the reopening of the Roman Amphitheater of Ancona, rearranged in record time as a location for the summer events organized by the municipality. The parterre of guests was very rich, including civil and military authorities, in addition to the mayor Daniele Silvetti, the regional councilor for culture Chiara Biondi, a large part of the council of the Ancona municipality, city councilors, representatives of the regional school office, cultural operators, who participated to a historic moment in the history of the city. And the solemnity of the appointment was evident at the moment of greetings.
“Summer, philosophy of the solstice” was the new show, created by Lucrezia Ercoli to emphasize the solemnity of the opening by setting up a narrative that like a perfect circle tells the parable of Popsophia in Ancona: “With Popsophia we arrived here in the shortest days of the year, the winter solstice in December, the dies natalis. Tonight we celebrate the end of that parable, the summer solstice, the rite of passage that marks a boundary between a before and an after.”
The whole show wanted to underline the rites dedicated to light and fire, to purification, to the light of the sun which in the hours of the solstice wins over the darkness, bringing with it the symbolism of fertility, abundance, salvation, but also the omen of its end. . Accompanying Lucrezia Ercoli on stage was the philosopher Simone Regazzoni who reread philosophy starting from the marine environment, from water, from Thales to Heraclitus, offering an unprecedented interpretation of our entire existence in the world, like surfers among the waves, floating on the emerged lands in constant search of balance. And in a game of references, the Factory songs from “O sole mio” to “Onda su Onda” up to Let the sunshine sealed the beginning of the Ancona summer.
A “miracle” made possible thanks to the collaboration between the Municipality of Ancona, the Superintendence for archaeological and cultural heritage and the Popsophia Association, as well as all the people who have worked tirelessly in recent days to make the site welcoming and ready to offer an emotion who had been missing for 12 years.
Superintendent Cecilia Carlorosi underlined this before the start of the show: “The gift for the city is great – she reported – what we hope is that it will be appreciated. Our desire was to return this asset to the city of Ancona and I also thank Popsophia for the creative effort of having created an exhibition for this place”.
The mayor of Ancona Daniele Silvetti instead underlined the aspect linked to collaboration between entities and the willingness to look in the same direction: “This is the evening of pride, contentment and happiness – the words of the mayor – thanks go to the Superintendency for having accepted the request and made all this available thanks to its availability. Tonight is a moment in which the city reclaims a piece of its history and a magical place.”
Satisfaction was also expressed by the regional councilor for Culture Chiara Biondi: “an evening in a magical place. Popsophia has demonstrated in this city, but not only, that it is an important reality capable of uniting ancient philosophy and modernity”.
“Opening the amphitheater was one of the first objectives we set ourselves – added the culture councilor of the municipality of Ancona Anna Maria Bertini – to give a new cultural face to the city. Thanks to the architect Carlorosi, without whom we would not have been able to donate this space which is the largest of the Roman amphitheaters in the Marche and which we wanted to inaugurate on the day of the solstice with a show specifically dedicated to underlining this passage”.
