Cerealia 2017 – The Cereal Festival

Evento inserito nel calendario istituzionale dell’Anno Europeo del Patrimonio Culturale e dell’Anno del Cibo Italiano promossi dal MiBACT; incluso nel calendario istituzionale del programma Italia, Culture, Mediterraneo promosso dalla Direzione Generale del Sistema Paese del MAECI e della Cooperazione Internazionale.

The 7th edition of the Cerealia Festival opened on June 8 at the Sala Pietro da Cortona in the Campidoglio, with a special dedication to the European Union and the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome.
The festival received the high patronage of the European Parliament, the European Commission Office in Italy, MAECI, MiPAF, the Lazio Region, the City of Rome, and numerous other public and private institutions. The Presidency of the Council of Ministers – Department for European Policies included the event in the institutional calendar for the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome.
The European Festivals Association (EFA) reconfirmed Cerealia with the EFFE Label 2017-2018, recognizing it as a Festival of European Excellence, and the festival was also awarded the Medal of the President of the Italian Republic.
Promoted by the cultural associations M.Th.I., Archeoclub d’Italia-Rome, Agroalimentare in Rosa, and Prospettive Mediterranee, in collaboration with national and international institutions, Cerealia annually contributes to intercultural exchange in the Mediterranean at multiple levels, addressing topics such as food, environment, economy, tourism, identity, and cultures.
Reflecting on what “Europe” has meant over the past sixty years was central to this edition, emphasizing the value of diversity that nourishes Europe’s uniqueness and its capacity for dialogue, particularly with the southern shore of the Mediterranean.
Cereals and bread have historically symbolized Europe’s identity project, notably at Expo Milano 2015, where the “golden ear of wheat” represented cooperation for food security, bridging countries, science, agriculture, innovation, and tradition.
The professional cereal supply chain, from farming to scientific research, was at the core of Cerealia 2017, with the guiding theme “Arts and Professions: Identity and Cultures”. Barley was the cereal chosen for this edition and featured in a conference in Rome on June 12. On June 9 in Rome, a roundtable on sustainable tourism was held in celebration of the European Year of Sustainable Tourism.
The 2017 edition was also dedicated to the memory of Prof. Silvio Moretti. Confirming its diffused festival structure, Cerealia offered a rich program of initiatives across Rome, municipalities in Lazio, and several Italian regions (Calabria, Lombardy, Puglia, Sicily). Many activities outside Rome began as early as April (Tarquinia) and May (Terracina), continuing through November 2017.
Numerous technical and organizational partners, as well as patron institutions, contributed to the realization of the festival.

ALL PAST EDITIONS