The city council unanimously voted on an agenda (odg) to support Matera’s candidacy to host the meeting of the National Alpine Association (ANA) in 2026. In recent months, the IV Ana Group (Bari section) Puglia and Basilicata), has expressed its desire to nominate Matera as the venue for the 97th edition of the event, in support of which the drafting of a dossier of territorial adhesions is being finalised, which will be delivered on 28 June. Matera had already applied for the 2017 and 2021 meetings, always obtaining a positive opinion from the ANA delegation without however being designated. In fact, the city of the Sassi has never hosted this prestigious event and will compete with Brescia and Genoa for the 2026 edition; moreover, the year in which the territorial group celebrates twenty years since its establishment. Since the same years the gathering has not taken place in southern Italy, therefore hosting the event in Matera would be a source of pride and prestige not only for the city, but for all of southern Italy. The national world of the Alpine troops is already responding with formal adhesions and concrete actions for Matera’s candidacy, mobilizing with strength and enthusiasm. The mayor, Domenico Bennardi, accepted the proposal from day one, noting the excellent work of coordination and synergy carried out so far by the IV Ana Group, which is gathering widespread consensus among the local institutions of Puglia and Basilicata. For these reasons, a month ago the Culture and Sassi council commission heard the Ana di Matera group leader, Vito Giasi, and the vice president of the Bari Puglia Basilicata section, Francesco Berardengo, who illustrated the dimensions and impact of the gathering on the city and requested the Municipality to undertake to make available, after the possible desirable assignment of the meeting to the city, a sum equal to 50 thousand euros, according to the ANA Regulations. A sum which, after the approval of the Council, will have to be approved by the municipal council as established by the mandate contained in the agenda, if it is confirmed that Matera will host the 2026 meeting. Matera was the first city in the South to rise up against Nazi-fascism, medal The gold medal for civil valor, silver medal for military valor, World Heritage Site, European Capital of Culture, has already demonstrated that it is amply capable of large-scale events, as occurred on the occasion of the G20 for Foreign Affairs and Development in June 2021 and the coming of Pope Francis in September 2022. The gathering in Udine in 2023 led, in fact, to 105 million euros in economic benefits calculated on the basis of 297,000 attendances, and 26 million in tax revenue. The first numbers of the 2024 gathering held in Vicenza estimate attendance at 400,000 people, therefore higher than those of Udine. A unique event in the world, dating back to 1920, capable of bringing together hundreds of thousands of people in a city, attracted by the formidable bond of the hat with the black feather. An inclusive and transversal event, which involves territory, population and culture, capable of creating intergenerational sharing and closeness; It constitutes an important opportunity for socializing and strengthening the process of transmitting Alpine values among the participants. However, it is not only a moment of celebration of the Alpine troops and support for solidarity and charity projects, but it also constitutes an extraordinary opportunity to promote the local economy.
