Interview to Mario Bruni, president of the Castelsecco cultural association.
The Castelsecco cultural association was born in 2002 and it began operating in 2004 with the aim to promote the Archaeological area of Castelsecco. The park lies at the top of a hill, three kilometres southeast from Arezzo. It can be reached on foot from the communal stadium of Arezzo, and it catches the attention of visitors and passers-by, curious of the magical story of this place and enchanted by the stunning landscape once on top of the hill.
How did this association come to life and what is its goal?
The association was born on 2002, aiming to promote the area of this Etruscan-Roman archaeological site, dating back to 220-190 B.C.
It is a terrace with a theatre, a temple and a podium. In this area, many archaeological remains have been found, even by chance, and these are now displayed in the Mecenate Museum in Arezzo.
The association want the citizens and the public administration to get to know this reality by organizing different types of initiatives.
It being a public park, support and authorisations from the communal administration is needed in order to do any kind of event, therefore, it is important for the park to be appreciated by a growing number of people.
The association has refurbished at its own expenses, the church located right at the entrance of the archaeological site, turning it into their headquarters.
How do you intend on promoting the Etruscan area?
Since it is a public site, we want to locals to enjoy visiting and living the area.
For this reason, we decided that from the next event season, we will install seats for the audience to be comfortable, considering that due to a large number of people, it is also quite hard to find a place to stand in.
From the artistic point of view, we are thinking of a Classic Tragedy and Comedy Festival: Plautus, Euripides and Aristophanes. We would be able to make this thanks to the help of our two partners: Libera Accademia del Teatro, the Accademia Petrarca and obviously the Fondazione Guido d’Arezzo.
What can one do in order to take part in your association and pursue your mission?
We organise several social events to engage citizens in our activities.
We are in contact with Ms Gialli, from the Superintendence, we organise museums for young people and a social dinner every year.
With our desire to do something, we want to be a stimulus for the communal administration.
Do you already have an event programme for the 2020 season in Castelsecco?
The season will start at the end of June – beginning of July with the Greek tragedy.
Last year we staged Lysistrata, two years ago The Nazarene, a collaboration with Libera Accademia del Teatro.
This year we will stage a play directed by Andrea Biagiotti, we will see on stage Alessandra Bedino, readings of excerpts interpreted by Andrea Biagiotti with a musical background, a concert of Ilaria Scatizzi, astronomy meetings and many more requests to put into action.
Seeing that this year’s theme for the Arezzo Crowd Festival is Be The Change, what change are you wishing for during 2020?
I wish a cultural change was put into action.
Working today to see results tomorrow, we need sedimentation of ideas and realisation.
The entire society should be involved in this: the cultural change I wish for, should start from those the society wants apart. From conflicts, we should get back to a synthesis: conflicts need to happen, a society needs to be in tension; this way stimulation arise making people discuss, argue, in order to reach something that touches and unites all of us.
Cultural associations must work to come over the division of the society: rediscover common values, because separation is a cultural, political and social error. We need to find a common denominator, a collective feeling, something that unites all of us.
Rediscovering the community and involvement feeling is key, instead of striving for further fragmentation of society.
Learning to talk to one another and hear what we have to say. Good ideas always come from hints that push us to do something together.
We need more tolerance: freedom is in defending other’s ideas even if we do not agree.
Freedom belongs to everyone otherwise it is not freedom.
Francesca Papi
Translated by Giuliana Vargetto
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AssociazioneCastelsecco/
