Mdina – Caltagirone
Project ‘La Via del Barocco’
14th April till 16th April, 2023
EVENT DESCRIPTION SHEET
PROJECT
Participant: 101091169-Mdina Local Council (MLC)
PIC number: 884882016
Project name and acronym: Cultural Interweaving on The Baroque Route. Mdina
and Caltagirone — CIMC
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Event number: 1
Event name: Cultural Interweaving on The Baroque Route. Mdina and Caltagirone
Type: Town Twinning
In situ/online: Visit in-situ
Location: Malta
Date(s): 14th – 16th April 2023
Website(s) (if any): https://mdina.lc.com.mt/projects-events
Participants
Female:
65
Male:
71
Non-binary:
From country 1
Malta- 50
From country 2
Caltagirone- 86
…
Total number of participants:
136
From total number of countries:
2
Description
Provide a short description of the event and its activities.
The Mdina local council (MLC) and city of Caltagirone developed a new relationship through this town twinning initiative. Both
of these organisations were approached by The Islands, a Maltese non-governmental organisation set up to promote cooperation
between Malta and Sicily, Italy. The two involved towns developed the concept for this twinning project. The cities of Mdina and
Caltagirone have mutual points of interest, especially as regards tourism.
This town twinning was based on the cultural similarities of the localities which included cultural exchange and the preservation
of our cultural heritage. The project consisted in enhancing a very important historical and cultural period for the cities of Mdina
and Caltagirone, as there are baroque churches, museums and historical memories of art, baroque music, paintings, handcrafts and
spaces in both cities that highlight the original culture of the time.
These localities have significant history that should be showcased of varying historial periods. Historical artefacts and sights like
museums, churches, art and crafts are a means of cohesion and promote intercultural dialogue. The artistic treasures in the
churches, like the Cathedral Museum of Mdina and in the Diocesan Museum of Caltagirone are intended to tell the story of faith
and an experience of the past that is still current to this time.
The purpose of this twinning was to learn from the past by offering citizens the opportunity to discover the cultural diversity of
the European Union, explore the values and heritage of culture, history, art, craftsmanship and music form the basis of a common
future, ensuring peaceful relations between European citizens in active participation at the local level in Mdina.
Details of events day by day:
DAY 1:
A. Introductory speeches followed by presentations introducing the two municipalities to each other;
B. Series of workshops and group discussions to identify both similar experiences and differences between the two municipalities.
Residents worked together in groups to identify shared values, cultural traits, historical experiences of arts and crafts, physical
landmarks such as baroque churches, historical buildings, museums and archives, economic elements, lifestyles. The different
groups then presented their results to the rest of the group and a discussion took place.
C. A. Forum: Shopkeepers, craftsmen, the public, entrepreneurs and all participants were encouraged to address the issue of
economic sustainability in the period of the pandemic, as well as the challenges and opportunities that European policy offers for
the economic future in Europe.
D. Group workshops on the conservation of works of art, on the realisation and planning of exhibitions, on craftsmanship and the
creation and processing of artefacts.
E. Public exhibition on handicrafts, art, with related tools for processing. The aim was to enhance and protect the common
cultural heritage. The event made people aware of European values, promote understanding, show differences and similarities,
thus contributing to the development of a multicultural and dynamic European identity with a shared future.
F. Baroque music performance in Mdina Cathedral
DAY 2 and DAY 3:
A. Group discussion on Covid’s experience in the respective local communities:
Participants discussed issues such as.
How has the pandemic affected them locally?
What actions have been planned for the promotion of art, historical memory and opportunities to be exploited for the future?
How did civic participation continue in a post-Covid setting?
B: Workshop on the impact of Covid on the economy. Mdina and Caltagirone both depend to a large extent on tourism. How has
this been influenced by Covid and what best practices and ideas can be implemented going forward? How to build the basis for a
long-term transnational cooperation between the two municipalities, being in a better position to share and propose ideas on how
the two municipalities can work together in the future.
C: Exposure on the ceramic handicrafts of Caltagirone, historical commercial activity, production and marketing
OUTCOMES
Short Term Effects
In the short-term both the Maltese and Italian communities will benefit from immediate enhanced cooperation that was
established during the activity itself. The activities resulted in joint activities over the three day event that focused on different
elements related both to culture and the immediate impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. The project also lead to the increased
understanding of the participants about the cultural offerings of both cities and also about how this culture has been formed over
the years.
Medium and Long-Term Effects
During the activities, the participants and representatives from the two local-council organisations focused on what possible
future opportunities could be available to them. This could enable future engagement between the two communities focusing on
common interests that can be linked to the area of culture, covid resilience and also other topics and areas that are not directly
covered in this project. The project report also allowed for the gathering of all the outcomes and results achieved directly through
the project. It compiled all the information gathered in the evaluation sessions and feedback that can be used for the development
of future projects that could also be EU funded.
Through the project, involved participants better understood each other and appreciated the cultural similarities and differences of
their localities and countries. This was a way of ensuring more tolerance towards each other – which is still a very relevant factor
in today’s world, especially when considering the challenging times that we are living in at the moment.
Further to this, in the long-term, the communities of these two localities will see their cooperation grow, not just through
individual projects but also in the expansion of possible economic and cultural links. The idea here is to help regional businesses
further cooperate with each-other especially those operating in the cultural sector and those hardest hit by the pandemic.