Bergamo and Brescia are demonstrating the power of Culture as a Cure. A host of projects and events inspired by solidarity, inclusion and acceptance will get underway with inaugural events on the 20th, 21st and 22nd of January, attended by the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella.
BERGAMO, Italy and BRESCIA, Italy, Jan. 18, 2023 – The Italian Capital of Culture 2023 will be inaugurated in Bergamo and Brescia on the 20th, 21st and 22nd of January as the two cities demonstrate the capacity of culture to express solidarity, generate participatory creativity and care for people. “Culture as a Cure” is one of four themes of the 2023 programme and will include many events inspired by the values of inclusion, acceptance, care. Values that will be endorsed by the presence of the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella at the inauguration ceremony in the “Enlighted City”.
Through Culture and Art, the care of the most fragile and the inclusion and participation in active citizenship of all age groups will be promoted by joint initiatives between the Municipalities of Bergamo and Brescia, cultural organisations, non-profit associations and care institutions.
The Bergamo Brescia Family Friendly project, for example, is centred on the cultural enjoyment of families and children and offers a packed schedule of events for the whole year, brought together under the evocative banner 2023 – WHAT A SHOW!
Inaugural events from the 20th to the 22nd of January will feature captivating performances, including by the talented members of the children’s choir singing the Anthem of the Capital, with thousands of voices joining in a tune composed by a participatory process among local artists and students.
Other projects will focus on music and dance – “Land Music”, commemorating the victims of Covid, and “Agorà. Neighbouring Cities”, popular participatory dance show in both cities and territories by the renowned choreographer Virgilio Sieni – or theatre and health, like “Silent Days, White Nights. The time of Care”, theatrical performance by the healthcare personnel of Bergamo Hospital featuring a collective reworking of the experience of the pandemic, and “Culture Care” by Teatro19 Brescia, promoting psychiatric rehabilitation through theatre workshops.
Bergamo Brescia Italian Capital of Culture 2023 is supported by main partners Intesa Sanpaolo and A2A, system partner Brembo and area partner SACBO. The Culture Ministry and Fondazione Cariplo are institutional partners.
SOURCE Italian Capital of Culture 2023