The city of Agrigento has been proclaimed the Italian Capital of Culture 2025. The appointment took place today in the MiC’s Sala Spadolini. The candidate cities for the 2025 edition were: Agrigento, Aosta, Assisi (Perugia), Asti, Bagnoregio (Viterbo), Monte Sant’Angelo (Foggia), Orvieto (Terni), Pescina (L’Aquila), Roccasecca (Frosinone) and Spoleto (Perugia). In addition to the mayors of the ten candidate cities, the Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano, the jury president Davide Maria Desario and the jury members Isabella Valente, Maria Luisa Catoni, Luisa Piacentini, Salvatore Adduce, Paolo Asti and Luca Brunese were present.
The other candidate cities
The other 14 cities that submitted the application for 2025 are Aosta, which participated with Aosta Plural City, Assisi (Perugia) with Assisi. Creatures and creators, Asti with Where culture is grow, Bagnoregio (Viterbo) with Being Bridges, the metropolis of Reggio Calabria with Locride 2025. A completely different story, Enna with Enna 2025. The myth at heart, Monte Sant’Angelo ( Foggia) with Monte Sant’Angelo 2025: a mountain on the way, Orvieto (Terni) with Meta surprises the culture that borders, Otranto (Lecce) with Otranto 2025. Mosaic of cultures, Peccioli (Pisa) with ValdEra Ora. The art of living together, Pescina (L’Aquila) with culture is not depopulated, Roccasecca (Frosinone) with vocations. Culture and the pursuit of happiness, Spoleto (Perugia) with culture generates energy and finally Sulmona (L’Aquila) with culture is metamorphosis. After an initial screening, only 10 cities were selected for the final: Agrigento, Aosta, Assisi (Perugia), Asti, Bagnoregio (Viterbo), Monte Sant’Angelo (Foggia), Orvieto (Terni), Pescina (L’Aquila) , Roccasecca (Frosinone) and Spoleto (Perugia). The proposals from each city were presented to the jury on March 27th and 28th at the Palazzo Venezia in Rome.
The mayor’s words to the other cities: “Let’s network”
“Thank you, thank you. I am very excited but at the same time proud to have reached this milestone and to have given my city, the only Sicilian finalist, this important recognition for the future development of culture, tourism and economy.” The Mayor declared of Agrigento, Francesco Micciché, before the Ministry of Culture in Rome in the presence of the mayors of the other candidate cities and the Commission «Today Agrigento did not win, Sicily did not win, but Italy won because at this historical and political moment it promoted this dossier whose project focuses on the themes of cultural exchange between peoples, on hospitality, on integration and on dialogue, on the relationships between the various ethnic groups in the Mediterranean basin, was a great act of courage and extreme sensitivity on the part of the Commission, and therefore of reflection of the national ruling class,” stressed Micciché. “I have one wish, I’m speaking to my colleagues, to the 9 mayors of the finalist cities – added Micciché – let’s not separate today and go home. We are trying to create a cultural tourism network, from Valle d’Aosta to Sicily, we are creating the national sports team, where the athletes hardly know each other but all have the same goal and the same spirit of togetherness: being Italian. Thank you very much”.
The Agrigento dossier
The Municipality has presented the dossier for Agrigento’s candidacy as Italian Capital of Culture for 2025. After months of meetings organized by the Mayor Franco Miccichè and the President of the University Consortium Empedocle Nenè Mangiacavallo, the planning team led by Roberto Albergoni sent to the Ministry of Culture the rich work entitled «The self, the other and nature. Cultural Relations and Transformations. A cultural project between Agrigento, Lampedusa and the communities of the region that explores the harmony and conflicts between the 4 elements of Empedocles (water, air, earth and fire). 44 projects, 17 of which are international, to study the relationships between people in a perspective of peace with nature.
9 projects are dedicated to the topic of water, 6 of which are international. These include projects that have a strong connection to the sea: from the creation of two new exhibition spaces of the “Museo del Corallo” to the opportunity to discover the island of Ferdinandea while diving – an exceptional place known for the unique history that to which is connected his origin and his sudden disappearance; from the UNESCO candidacy of greeting gestures to the creation of a European laboratory for greeting others.
9 projects, 3 of which are international, are dedicated to the topic of the earth. The projects related to the land have a strong bond with the territory, they tell us about the aromas, the scents, the harvests and the tastes; they tell us about the minerals, the gardens and the production of wine and oil; but also the noise of the earth and the artistic interventions against it, the network of special cities in the world and the re-education of waste recycling.
12 projects, 3 of which are international, are dedicated to the subject of air. The air element is represented by the network and the connections, be they physical, like the resumption of the historical train, whether they are digital, like the creation of themed video games, or the increasingly urgent need to digitize historical archives to preserve a vast heritage and not waste.
What you get for winning the title
After being named Capital of Culture, the winning city receives a state contribution of one million euros, which it must use to improve and highlight its qualities and specificities for a whole year, also through cultural initiatives and events for citizens and visitors.
When was it founded
In 2014 Matera was named European Capital of Culture for 2019. Thanks to their commitment to the proposed projects, the 6 finalists – Cagliari, Lecce, Perugia, Ravenna and Siena – were named Italian Capitals of Culture for 2015. From 2016, an annual competition was introduced. In addition to the cities for 2015, the following cities have won the title so far: Mantua 2016, Pistoia 2017, Palermo 2018, Parma 2020 and 2021, Procida 2022, Bergamo and Brescia in 2023 and Pesaro in 2024.
