Pomeziain the Pontine countryside, will host the tenth edition of the Festival of Identity Citiesfrom 5 to 7 July 2024. After the great success of the public and the press of the previous editions with the story of the cultural symbols, characters and places which make our small provincial towns unique in the world, the evenings of entertainment, talk and book presentations arrive in a very young municipality, founded in 1938, but with an ancient territory that dates back to the myth of foundation of Rome and the landing of Aeneas who founded the ancient Lavinium right there, considered the cradle of the West.
“It’s an edition that I care a lot about because it’s done at Pomeziathe city where I was born and raised. – said the director of CulturaIdentità, Edoardo Sylos Labiniduring the presentation to the Chamber of Deputies of the We’ll talk about the myth of Aeneas, who landed on the shores of Pratica di Mare to found ancient Lavinium, the cradle of Rome and the West. I would like to thank Mayor Felici, a great mayor, and I am proud to be able to bring my contribution to the city where I was born.”
“Together with Edoardo Sylos Labini we strongly wanted the creation of Festival of Identity Cities in Pomezia. – replied Veronica Felici, during the press conference – It is a project that I welcomed with enthusiasm because I know how important the relaunch of this city rich in archaeological beauty is. It is the cradle of pre-Roman civilization, there was the landing of Aeneas and then the ancient Lavinius and in addition we also have the modern part of the twentieth century. We want to bring Pomezia to national attention for a relaunch of tourism, to finally give credit to the prestigious city that it is”.
“Festivals like this are a model of glocal culture which combines the valorization of the identity of that borgoof that city of foundation – as in the case of Pomezia – with classical and contemporary myths. With the Festival of Identity Cities in Pomezia we will talk about the myth of Aeneas, essentially the myth of Western culture, and the myths of cinema as Sergio Leone and Ugo Tognazzi. It will be a party” said the president of the Culture Commission in the Chamber, Federico Mollicone.
Pomezia, with its hamlets of Pratica di Mare and Torvajanica on the Roman coast, it is an area to be rediscovered and relaunched since over the years it has been a place of work and holiday for important characters of culture and entertainment Italian. It also hosts the excavations of ancient Lavinium with the famous Heroon of Aeneas and the Archaeological Museum Lavinius under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture, and one of the most important military airports in the Mediterranean, that of Pratica di Mare, under the control of the Ministry of Defence.
In this edition of the Città Identitarie Festival the evenings will have as protagonists Aeneasthe birth of the city of foundation occurred in 1938, the boom economic and the presence of two great Italian artists, Sergio Leoneburied right in Pratica di Mare by his will, which marks the 35th anniversary of his death, and Ugo Tognazzi who launched his “Villaggio” in Torvajanica between the 60s and 70s, a meeting place for the Dolce Vita that landed on the Roman coast. In the background, the words of a great writer like Antonio PennacchiPremio Strega 2010 with “Canale Mussolini”, which is considered the singer of the Agro Pontino.
The 10th edition of the festival, which will be held in City Identity of Pomezia from 5 to 7 July, has the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Municipality of Pomezia and the Center for Books and Reading (CEPELL), with the partnership of Fondazione Effetto Arte and Asacert. Media Partner, Rai News 24.
Here is the program
FRIDAY 5 JULY 2024
INDEPENDENCE SQUARE 9.30 PM
THE POMEZIA NOTEBOOKS
The 10th edition of the Festival starts with institutional greetings from the mayor of Pomezia, Veronica Happy. The Notebooks of Pomezia they are the story of eighty years of history of our country, the various changes in customs of almost a century of history, from the foundation by Mussolini on 25 April 1938 to the present day, through the voice of the artistic director of the Festival, Edoardo Sylos Labini who was born and raised in Pomezia. The story of a land that is actually ancient, rich in traditions and sacredness, where the mythical hero Aeneas landed to found the city of Laviniusthe cradle of Rome. And it is precisely from the verses of Virgil’s Aeneid that the deeds of the Trojan hero are sung, recited by Stella Gasparriwhich starts the evening with the hosting of Sylos Labini accompanied on stage by an extraordinary and varied cast made up of the comedian Gabriele Cirillifrom the director of Rai News 24 Paolo Petrecca who will tell us about the Latin roots of the territory and the Romanity linked to the myth of Aeneas; to the director of the Museum of the City of Pomezia, Claudia Montano which will make us discover stories and curiosities about the birth of the town; Gianmarco Tognazzi, who will tell the anecdotes of his father Ugo who founded Villaggio Tognazzi in Torvajanica in the 60s and 70s. Guests will be accompanied by the music of the maestro Sergio Colicchio of the singer-songwriter Daniel Stefani and from many archive images.
JULY 6, 2024
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS LAVINIUM ORE 19
ITALY SHIPYARD – ENEA AND LAVINIA
Telling the birth of the ancient Lavinius across the Myth of Aeneas, its own archaeological park which houses the Heroon of the hero and the Sanctuary of the XIII Altars, through a dance theatre workshop which becomes a unique show. Barbara Highestchoreographer, performer and director, protagonist of contemporary dance theater in Italy, leads us into an artistic construction site, a tribute to antiquity thanks to the contemporary movement.
SATURDAY 6 JULY 2024
INDEPENDENCE SQUARE 9.30 PM
PENNACCHI AND THAT DIARY OF THE FASCIO-COMMUNIST
Round table with Mic Book and Reading Center with Luciano Lanna (director Cepell) and Adriano Monti Buzzetti (president Cepell) e Rai Books on the topic of relaunching reading in Italy. Following Edward Sylos Labini meet the Hon. Federico Mollicone, President of the Culture Commission of the Chamber of Deputies. Taking inspiration from the novels of the Strega Prize winner, Antonio Pennacchi, who dedicated his poetics to Pomezia and the Pontine area, a historical-cultural path will be traced to leave behind the political conflicts of the last century and launch a message of national unity that starts from our identity roots. Hosted by Sylos Labini, the evening will be accompanied by the music of Master Colicchio and by the acting voice of Stella Gasparri. The guest of the meeting was the co-director of Repubblica’s Friday Marco Madoni.
SUNDAY 7 JULY
2024 INDEPENDENCE SQUARE 9.30 PM
ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS SERGIO LEONE
On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of Sergio Leone’s death, an evening show to remember one of the greatest Italian film directors of world fame. The father of spaghetti westerns is buried in Pomezia, in the small cemetery of Pratica di Mare, where he wanted to rest for eternity in the very village that was the backdrop to many of his masterpieces such as “Once Upon a Time in America” and “Once Upon a Time in the West”. Accompanied by‘Ensemble by maestro Sergio Colicchio and the voice of Soul Waywhich will take spectators on a journey to the notes of Ennio Morricone who composed many soundtracks for Sergio Leone, the evening will pay homage to this undisputed genius of international cinematography. On stage to host the evening Edoardo Sylos Labini e Crowned Bocciadeputy director of Tg1, with guest Luca Verdone, which dedicated two documentaries to Sergio Leone. Luca Verdone will then receive the Art Effect Award for his activity as a cultural disseminator. A moment of irony could not be missing with the memes of the king of satire, Federico Palmaroli aka Osho, which will entertain us with a special #lepiubellefrasidiosho. Surprisingly, the great one will connect with the Festival Charles Verdone who owes the beginning of his career to Maestro Leone who produced his first two films.
