The twenty-eighth edition of open monuments crosses seventy-eight municipalities
Between Sardinia and the Peninsula, the twenty-eighth edition of Open Monuments is the richest ever. On the threshold of thirty years, the event knows no crisis and involves an ever-increasing number of local administrations in its network with many new arrivals on the island and important confirmations on the national front. A 2024 edition that will start on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 May in Nurachi, Porto Torres, Quartu Sant'Elena, Samassi, San Gavino Monreale, Sassari and Sant'Antioco, to end on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October in Cagliari, where it all began way back in 1997.
A spring calendar that will cross the length and breadth of Sardinia until June 2nd, recounting the cultural and natural assets of sixty-four municipalities, and then restart with the autumn tranche on October 12th from Bitonto, followed the following weekend by Ferrara and the eleven local administrations which make up the Union of Municipalities of Alta Gallura.
Open Monuments in 2024 records a 'plus' sign on the island: more municipalities joining the project network, more new entries, between north and south of Sardinia, such as Arzachena or Nurachi, Santa Teresa Gallura or Nuxis, to name a few, together with returns of important centers, such as Olbia and Tempio. This means more schools, more associations, more students and volunteers, more communities. And the prospects encourage us. Because Open Monuments scores another 'plus': the number of participating regions in the Peninsula will significantly increase, thanks to a national project being launched.
THE REGIONAL AND NATIONAL PROGRAM AND NEWS
This year , 78 municipalities are taking part in the event, lasting five weekends from 4 May to 2 June and from 12 to 27 October in the second part which will be closed by Cagliari. The local administrations will make available over 800 monuments entrusted to the management and narration of almost 20,000 students, predominantly, and volunteers.
We therefore start on May 4th with Nurachi (at its first participation, where the oasis and the tower of Pischeredda, the Cantina Sardu and the Cantina Caddeo will be opened), Porto Torres, Quartu Sant'Elena, Samassi (another new entry , where the Church of San Geminiano and the historic building of the Primary School will be opened), San Gavino Monreale, Sassari and Sant'Antioco. It continues on the following weekend, that of 11 and 12 May , with 13 municipalities: Arzachena (at its first participation, it will showcase the Li Muri Megalithic Circle and the Michele Ruzittu Civic Museum), Carbonia, Decimoputzu, Dorgali, Escalaplano (at first participation, where, among others, the Necropolis of the archaeological area San Giovanni – Fossada and the Casa della Cultura Oreste Pili), Iglesias, Lunamatrona and Sanluri (both only on Sunday 12th), Oristano, San Sperate, Sestu, Villacidro will be open and Villaputzu. On 18 and 19 May Alghero, Chiaramonti, Ittiri, Nuxis (another new entrance, where it will be possible to visit, among other monuments, the Church of Sant'Elia and the Grotta di Sa Marchesa), Ossi, Ovodda (only on Sunday 19th), Pabillonis, Ploaghe, Serramanna, Simala (first participation, visitable, among others, the Church of San Niccolò and the Casa Mascia) and Triei. The weekend of 25 and 26 May was particularly "crowded" with 21 municipalities: Arbus, Bosa, Cuglieri, Gavoi, Gonnosfanadiga, Guspini, Monteleone Rocca Doria, Olbia, Pula, Sardara, Sarroch, Settimo San Pietro, Siddi, Sini (between the others, for this first participation, will be able to visit the country church of San Giorgio and the natural monument of a thousand-year-old olive tree in Sini), Terralba, Villasimius. Also present are five centers of the Union of Municipalities of Lower Campidano: Monastir, Nuraminis, Samatzai, Ussana and Villasor. The first tranche of the 2024 edition will end on the weekend of 1 and 2 June , in which Ardauli, Ballao, Carloforte, Elmas, Genuri, Neoneli, Padria, Segariu will participate (for the first time, the Church of San Giorgio Martire and the Church of San Sebastiano), Stintino, Teulada and Tuili.
After the summer break it resumes in autumn, in October , with the Apulian city of Bitonto, Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th , the following weekend, that of 19th and 20th October , will instead see Ferrara, in Emilia Romagna, and the municipalities of Alta Gallura Aggius, Aglientu, Badesi (first participation, visitable, among others, the Chiavica di Zilvara), Bortigiadas, Calangianus, Luogosanto, Luras, Santa Teresa Di Gallura (first participation, visitable, among others the archaeological site Lu Brandali), Tempio Pausania, Trinità D'Agultu and Vignola and Viddalba (another new entrance where the Archaeological Museum can be visited). Open Monuments 2024 ends on 27 and 28 October in Cagliari.
THE NATIONAL FRONT . 2024 for Open Monuments represents an extraordinary year for the growth of its national circuit thanks to a project soon to be activated, in collaboration with the regional ACLI, financed by the Ministry of Labor on the fund for the financing of projects and activities of general interest in the Third Sector, art. 72 of Legislative Decree 117/2017.
The network was formalized last February with the membership, together with Imago Mundi as leader, of 15 partners, representing Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardy, Puglia, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany, Umbria, Veneto. In its development, the project will also involve the regions of Marche, Molise, Piedmont and Trentino.
