Cerealia 2018 – The Cereal Festival

The event was included in the official calendar of the European Year of Cultural Heritage and the Year of Italian Food, promoted by MiBACT, as well as in the institutional calendar of the program Italy, Cultures, Mediterranean, promoted by the Directorate General of the Country System of MAECI and International Cooperation.

The festival officially opened on June 7 at the Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana in Rome. Cerealia has been awarded the EFFE LABEL – Europe for Festivals, Festivals for Europe as a European Festival of Excellence (2017/2018).
The 8th edition was dedicated to the Republic of Malta, in celebration of Valletta being named European Capital of Culture 2018. Thanks to the collaboration with the Valletta 2018 Foundation and the Embassy of Malta in Italy, the June 9 event in Rome at the Off Off Theatre was devoted to the millennial history of this young republic, whose strategic position has made it a meeting point for various cultures and, since antiquity, a hub for Mediterranean trade routes.
The thematic focus was on environment and landscape, the ongoing changes due to climate change, and the impact of pollution on land, sea, and lifestyles. Marine ecology and the protection of coastal areas were highlighted on June 10 in Sabaudia, with the extraordinary opening of the Domitian Villa archaeological site and various cultural and territorial enhancement activities, including a workshop recognized for professional credits for journalists.
The full 2018 program was extensive and diversified, taking place in various locations in Rome and other Italian cities, including Palermo, Italian Capital of Culture 2018, confirming the festival’s diffused structure, with initiatives that anticipated the official opening and continued in the autumn in Sicily and Lombardy.
Cerealia also collaborated with ENEA and the Accademia delle Scienze dei XL for the Wheats & Women: International Conference and “Carlotta Award 2018”, the first edition of the award for female researchers in the field of cereals, held in Rome on June 14–15, 2018.
During the 8th edition, various stakeholders benefited from research conducted by the Observatory on Health and Safety, whose results from the survey “Food and Society” are available on the festival website. This pilot study provided qualitative and quantitative data from participants in the Cerealia events in the involved regions, offering valuable feedback on citizens’ needs and supporting the development of a virtuous process of evaluation for the festival’s actions and network activities.
As every year, the Cerealia festival network expanded to include public and private organizations, which contributed in various ways to the realization of the program.

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