A month of events combining culture, art, education and training to bring people closer to port life.
Livorno, Piombino, Portoferraio and Capraia are to host the autumn session of Italian Port Days. Now in its 5th edition, the initiative launched by the Port Network Authorities and coordinated by the Italian port association, Assoporti, is designed to encourage better integration between port areas and the local community.
The North Tyrrhenian Port Network Authority has organized twenty events starting from today until 26th October. The initiative will kick off the 17th edition of the ‘Open Port” project conceived by the Authority to open up the Network ports it manages to their local urban contexts.
Maritime identity is the theme behind all the shows, meetings and guided tours that have been chosen for this year’s Italian Port Days program.
The opening event, in Portoferraio, focuses on the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the sinking of the Andrea Sgarallino, a steamship torpedoed during World War II.
Also worthy of note are the initiatives celebrating the 7th edition of Erasmus Days, promoted by the EU to highlight Europe’s cultural diversity and the many learning opportunities it offers as part of the Erasmus+ 2021-2027 Community programme.
Following the success in Capraia, where a ceremony to mark the beginning of the school year was held on 18th and 19th of September, training days dedicated to the development of skills for Blue Economy professions are being organized in the ports of Piombino, Portoferraio and Livorno on the 6th, 7th and 9th October 2023.
Among the many events on the Italian Port Days program, there are also a series of cultural initiatives. The magical terracottas by the Sicilian artist, Enzo Scuderi, on display in the Old Fortress from September 23rd to October 7th, will delight local residents and people visiting the city of Livorno, while, on September 21st, young and old alike will be able to ‘get on board’ with the ‘Obiwan sailing around the world’ Association to listen to Raffaella Marozzini and Giovanni Viviani’s evocative sailing experiences.
The festival also features literature in all its forms, organizing meetings with successful writers of essays and novels. On 28th September, it will be possible to meet Annalisa Camilli, author of the book ‘Il Mediterraneo come Via e come Confine,’ while an in-depth study on Tuscan port railway infrastructures will be presented on 5th October. Finally, on October 13th, a volume will be presented on shipbuilding in the Livorno dock from the 16th to the 19th centuries, by M.Montanelli and C.Errico.
Literature and non-fiction aside, there will be many eye-catching events. On 4th October, for example (or, alternatively, on October 6th or 10th, depending on weather conditions), you will be able to watch a high-tech drone specialized in transporting medical supplies live flying over the sea from Livorno to Capraia. On the 30th September, there will be special discount for people choosing to visit Livorno’s Aquarium.
Also on 30th September, at 10.00 a.m., the ‘European Researchers’ Night’ will kick off at Livorno’s Scoglio della Regina Research Centre. Promoted by the European Commission since 2005, thousands of researchers and research institutions all over Europe take part in this event every year. In Livorno, it will be organized by CNR-IBE.
Lastly, numerous guided tours of the Port of Livorno are planned, as well as more specific ones, such as those to the Lighthouse, in cooperation with the ‘Il Mondo dei Fari’ association (14th and 15th October, reservation required on 1st October from 8.00 am onwards), those to the 17th-century Palazzo Rosciano, the headquarters of the North Tyrrhenian Port Network Authority (26th October, 3.30 pm, an event reserved for Coop del Tirreno members), and those to the former grain silo, Silos del Grano, on 12th October (reserved for Coop members,).
Translation by Giles Foster