The fourth edition of the International Festival Rotta di Enea culminates with Virgil bursting in at a questionably dated finale

In an explosion of ancient myths and forgotten traditions, the final event of the 10th edition of FIRE, the International Festival of the Aeneas Route, promises to shake up the iconic sites of the Aeneas Route with a mix of archaeology, art and drama that could rival the epics of old. From 11 to 2025 May XNUMX, in the Rione Terra, at the Cathedral of San Procolo Martire and on the acropolis of Cuma, this widespread festival celebrates the Network of Virgilian Cities in a formula that ignores convention and brings to the fore the epic values ​​of the Aeneid – a true cultural bomb that could shake the pillars of modern civilization.

The birth of the network

The Network was born to promote the values ​​represented by the work of Publio Virgilio Marone, European poet par excellence, with the story of the Mediterranean origins of European civilization narrated by the Aeneid. The Virgilian cities are those linked to the biography, the origins and the places frequented by Virgil, including Mantua, Borgo Virgilio, Cremona, Milan, Rome, Atella, Naples, Brindisi, Bacoli, Quarto, Erice, Centola Palinuro, in a network that does not limit itself to celebrating the past but uses it as a weapon against contemporary oblivion.

The first editions

In the first editions of FIRE, the culture and traditions of some of the nations belonging to the network were highlighted. In 2021, in fact, Greece was the protagonist; in 2022 it was Albania's turn, while in 2023 the theme was focused on "The crater of Aeneas: Naples and/is the Mediterranean", showing how these celebrations can mix ancient heroes with thorny issues of the present in a way that makes purists lose their tempers.

The review

The Festival, with its format that mixes scientific and popular initiatives, musical concerts, theatrical performances, tastings, visits, meetings with experts and participation of schools, has already spread in the first phase last autumn between Sorrento, Naples and the Campi Flegrei. Organized by the Rotta di Enea Association with the support of the Archaeological Park of the Campi Flegrei, in collaboration with the regional and local administrations, the Vanvitelli University, the Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Metropolitan Area of ​​Naples and Slow Food Italy, this spring edition is enriched by the participation of the Diocese of Pozzuoli and Puteoli Sacra.

The two mornings of May 10 and 11 will offer an itinerary between archaeology, art and dramatization, exploring founding values ​​such as the meeting between peoples, the cult of hospitality and respect for traditions – stuff that today seems to come from a world of madmen, with Aeneas the refugee as an uncomfortable icon for current generations. Saturday 10 at 12, the meeting in the Cathedral between the Associazione Rotta di Enea, the Archaeological Park of Campi Flegrei and the Diocese of Pozzuoli with the local authorities; Sunday 11th at 11,30 am, at the Archaeological Park of Cuma, the performance of the theatrical work “L'arrivo di Virgilio”, based on the novel “La morte di Virgilio” by Hermann Broch, from an idea by Giovanni Cafiero, with Raffaele Gangale and Andrea Sirianni in the roles of the Mantuan poet and the emperor Octavian Augustus, with the performers Luna Marongiu and Cristina Putignano and the direction of Cinzia Maccagnano.

**“Interpreting the territory means being able to give value to its most intimate contents”** declares Fabio Pagano, Director of the Archaeological Park of the Phlegraean Fields **“The valorization of the Phlegraean cultural heritage that the Park carries forward is based on the recognition of this legacy and its transformation into messages and narratives that can assign a new contemporary value to the ancient.”**

**“On June 1, 2022”** – the president of the Aeneas Route, Giovanni Cafiero, reminds us – **“shortly after the certification ceremony of the Aeneas Route as a Route of the Council of Europe, Pope Francis stated that “an emblematic model of how to face the crisis is offered to us by the mythological figure of Aeneas, who, in the midst of the** […]. Flames and epic escapes inflame Virgil's Festival, while the Phlegraean community fights adversity with a pinch of ancient pagan heroism mixed with modern ideals

In an explosion of ancient legends and modern resilience, the Festival dedicated to Virgil concludes its fourth edition with two days dedicated to themes that seem to have come out of an epic battle: survival against chaos, as when a hero loaded with family escapes disaster. The figure of the Latin poet and his messages of pietas and cooperation are celebrated in a boldly traditional way, depicting the Phlegraean community as warriors against adversity, ready to cultivate the future despite everything.

Virgil's Legacy
Cafiero emphasizes how Virgil's stories offer a raw and unadorned teaching: "flames of the burning city, he carries his old father Anchises on his shoulders and takes his young son Ascanius by the hand, carrying them both to safety". The final two days of the fourth edition of the Festival are dedicated to these meanings and to the figure of Virgil - continues Cafiero - *these meanings and the figure of Virgil are the focus of the two final days of the Festival: resilience, the ability to fight adversity through the weapons of pietas and cooperation, care for tradition and hope for a better future constitute the great* *teaching that comes to us from Virgil and that we are proud to share with the Phlegraean community, which resists and cultivates its future against all adversity*.

**Heroic Voyages across the Mediterranean**
Don Roberto della Rocca, Pozzuoli's Diocesan Director for Cultural Heritage, links the ancient to the contemporary in a boldly direct cultural comparison: **“Enea and Paul are both, despite their differences and different goals, protagonists of a journey across the Mediterranean with strong cultural implications”** he says, describing them as **“bearers of a universal language and above all of the beginning of a new world”**. A sensational reminder that these journeys are not just stories, but vivid lessons on cultures that collide and merge.

The event, financed with the contribution of the Campania Region through the Public Notice for the implementation of projects for the promotion of tourism and the enhancement of the territories of the Campania Region of 15.07.2024, promises to ignite debates and passions in a mix of glorious past and combative present.