ABOUT CULTURAL DAYS & SYMPOSIUM

 

Georgian Culture Week took place in Florence on November 2-9, 2009. This forum aimed to present the diversity of Georgian art and culture to the international and in particular Italian community. One of the central events of this cultural week was "The International Symposium on Georgian Art and Culture, The Caucasus – Georgia on the Crossroads: Cultural Exchange across the Europe and Beyond." The symposium hosted up to 80 Georgian and International scholars working in the field of Georgian Studies.

The forum also presented exhibitions, "Georgia- the Journey through Land, History and Culture", "Old Tbilisi in Old Photographs" and two exhibitions of "Contemporary Georgian Artworks" , one by the professors of the Tbilisi State Academy of Art and another by a group of young artists, a concert of Georgian polyphony, and Georgian wine and cuisine tasting.

 

Welcome Note

Maka Dvalishvili
GACC International Initiative of Georgian Cultural Studies Project Leader
Georgian Arts and Culture Center President

I would like to welcome you all to the International Symposium of Georgian Culture “The Caucasus – Georgia on the Crossroads”, located in the exciting historic city of Florence, and to Georgian Cultural week which has became a reality through the generous support of the Fondazione Romualdo Del Bianco, under the patronage of Florence City Hall and Tbilisi City Hall.

This year’s Symposium is the second international scholars meeting on Georgian Art and Culture organized by GACC International Initiative of Georgian Cultural Studies; The Symposium intends to bring together scholars and professionals working in the field of Caucasian, and in particular Georgian culture on Italian ground; to familiarize audiences with the broad spectrum of scholarly work that exists in the ever-expanding field of Georgian art history, preservation of cultural heritage, and the development of cultural tourism; the aim of the event is to increase networking amongst scientists and provide them with a forum for scientific exchange.

I’d like to thank all scholars and participants of the Symposium and Cultural programs in Florence for their contributions to Georgian Culture; I’d like to express our gratitude to the Organizational Committee and the Symposium International Project Team for their creativity and hard work in assembling the program, local and international donors and sponsor organizations for their generous support in making this year’s Symposium a success.

 

Welcome Notes

Vittorio Sandalli
Ambassador of Italy to Georgia

The 2009 Florence symposium “The Caucasus: Georgia on the Crossroads. Cultural exchanges across Europe and beyond” enriches the long and diversified tradition of cooperation between Italy and Georgia in the field of art and culture.

Thanks to an event of such magnitude and significance, as well as to the organizers’ commitment in Georgia and Italy, it will be possible to make a greater portion of the public aware of the various intense cultural exchanges with the Caucasus and of the opportunities that could result from these historical ties.

It is a perspective which corresponds to the efforts of the Italian institutions aimed at reinforcing and multiplying any occasion of cooperation between the Italian and Georgian civic societies. I am confident that the support of the Italian Embassy in Tbilisi for the Florence symposium will contribute to further expanding such a reality.

 

Paolo Del Bianco
President of Fondazione Romualdo Del Bianco

We are happy for this important event since the idea of the creation of the Fondazione Romualdo Del Bianco was born right in Georgia. And I believe that it is not a mere coincidence that today, the 3rd of November 2009, the day of the opening of this prestigious symposium, is also the day of the 11th anniversary of the constitution of our Foundation.

This collaboration – in fact - represents the precious outcome of that moment. So my thanks to all those who helped me to build, in thought, this Foundation which is today an important reality and a promoter of initiatives in the City of Florence for the development of intercultural dialogue and co-operation.

Dialogue between cultures is our mission and like the fusion of two metals that leads to an “alloy,” is useful in leaving indelible memories for posterity; in our experience, we have seen how culture, combined with tourism, can contribute greatly to intercultural dialogue and ‘Life Beyond Tourism’, which offers a world of opportunities beyond merely consumerism and services but is tourismwith values.

This meeting with Georgian culture in Florence is a precious moment for the city of Florence.

 

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