It is the first time that two cities are nominated
The northern Italian cities of Bergamo and Brescia, located approximately an hour northeast of Milan, will be the joint Italian Capital of Culture for 2023. The two cities, which were particularly devastated during the first 2020 COVID-19 wave, jointly submitted their candidacy in May 2020 and were awarded the distinction by the Italian Cultural Ministry just a few months after.
The Italian Capital of Culture initiative was launched in 2014 as a way to recognize the central role culture plays in social and territorial rejuvenation. For one year, recipient cities became the focus for improved cultural heritage and touristic development through numerous projects and events that not only benefit the cities themselves but also their surrounding territories.
Bergamo and Brescia chose “La Città Illuminata” (The illuminated city) as their 2023 theme. Within this theme, the cities will focus on four key areas: “culture as a cure”, which explores how moments of shared vulnerability caused by the pandemic can amplify integrative welfare practices; “nature city,” which recognizes that we must jointly work together to mitigate the effects of climate change; “the city of hidden treasures,” an effort to redesign our approach to our cultural heritages by finding ways to manage tourism and “the city that invents” that calls for the integration of scientific and technological cultures with artistic practices.
Cultural events will begin taking place in January 2023, with events linked to music, theater, art and more. The year will be inaugurated with a festival of lights, followed by open-air art galleries featuring work from national and international artists. More cultural and nature-focused events in both cities and their surrounding territories will be unveiled later on.
The northern city of Parma served as the Capital of Italian Culture for 2020 and 2021 to make up for the disruptive effects of the multiple COVID-19 lockdowns. The 2022 distinction went to the colorful island of Procida, located off the coast of Naples, the first island to be given the award since the initiative’s inauguration.
Asia London Palomba
Asia London Palomba is a trilingual freelance journalist from Rome, Italy, currently pursuing her master's in journalism at New York University (NYU). In the past, her work on culture, travel, and history has been published in The Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura, and The Christian Science Monitor. In her free time, Asia enjoys traveling home to Italy to spend time with family and friends, drinking Hugo Spritzes, and making her nonna's homemade cavatelli.