Matera 2019

Ancient future

From the Apollo 11 steps to the smoky colour of the ground: the greatest step for mankind is now 50 years old!

It was exactly 12th July 1969 when three American astronauts made one of the most important days of the history of mankind. And now, during the event 'Matera 2019 Capital for a Day', 50 years later, the town of Sasso di Castalda wants to celebrate one of the greatest protagonists of the moon adventure: Rocco Petrone. He was the director of the Apollo 11 launch, raised in Little Italy, New York by his mother Teresa and his father Antonio, who both came from Sasso di Castalda.

Imagine Pirro del Balzo castle, the lordly villas in Piazza Orazio, Piazza Municipio with its majestic cathedral, L’Incompiuta, the Hebrew site of the catacombs and the Paleolithic site becoming, for a period, enormous canvases, boundless screens crossed by magnificent, dreamy forms dedicated to passers-by. In the meantime, the orchestra plays music, a musical tale that blends narrating voices with mute tracks. It is a wonderful historical fresco, participated in, where each piece - inanimate stones that guard time as much as the flesh-and-bone citizens - plays its part.

Nature Culture Science And Technology Between Future And Past. This year in Basilicata every town can become the protagonist of culture thanks to the 'Matera 2019 Capital for a Day' initiative. The aim of the project is to create a network that encourages a dialogue between the participating towns, a digital platform where ideas and projects can be shared.

There is somebody in Sant’Angelo Le Fratte, which can unite faith and science. The project will follow in his footsteps and try to create a link between the Past and the Present along the town’s streets. His name is Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz, a bishop and mathematician who travelled across Europe, leaving a lasting impression in Basilicata. An emblematic figure of the 17th century, he is still considered the symbol of the city. This can be clearly seen thanks to the murals that decorate the town to tell his story.

Before smartphones allowed us to constantly share our life in real time, photography required time and care, a rare event, sometimes unique, which brought families together to wear their best clothes to pose in front of the photographer. Therefore, dressing up was a strong symbolic action, an expression of the desire to show ourselves in the best possible way.

One of mankind’s most distinguished characteristics is the instinct to tell stories. We feed on bread and stories, and we mould our destiny through them.

Stories will be the protagonists of the 'Landscape, identity and paths' event, organized by the Avigliano municipality. The first part will involve schools, associations and the entire community who will share their idea of identity and how to regenerate it. They will be involved in a storytelling workshop, to create that link between the present and the future.

It is said that behind every great man there is always a great woman.

We do not know if this is always true, but it certainly is for Pythagoras: his wife Theano was the first mathematician in history. The legend says that upon the death of her husband, the woman directed the school he had founded and, in the mountain area that is today part of Pollino National Park, she established the summer headquarters of the Pythagorean School of Metaponto.

Sharing information on public and private networks, making purchases and investments safely and without intermediaries, protecting data confidentiality, preventing forgery.

Will blockchain, the new technology initially tied to bitcoins and transactions using digital currency, applicable to many sectors and destined to change the concept of network, access to information and computer safety, become widespread in the near future?

Those who say that it is impossible to travel in time have never been to Moliterno Castle.

Think about what could happen if you combined the Middle Ages and new technologies to see the original rooms of a castle thanks to a  3D reconstruction, to scan a QR code and to be catapulted amongst fire-eaters and jugglers. You can find out when the Moliterno Castle comes back to life, allowing the visitors to enter a magical ancient atmosphere.