Tornareccio, the city of young Europeans

Tornareccio could be defined as a true “oasis” in the Abruzzo hinterland: its location, between the blue Adriatic Sea, the green hills and the magnificence of Mount Pallano, gives it an almost magical aura. It is no coincidence that in this area, so rich in biodiversity, there is a very high level of quality in agrifood production such as that of cured meats, cheeses and, above all, honey. Tornareccio produces 10 percent of Italy’s honey, and its quality places it among the very first nationally and internationally. But Tornareccio’s magic is not limited only to the food aspect: the town is a dynamic cultural and intellectual laboratory that catalyzes the attention of artists even of international stature. The highest expression of this dynamism is undoubtedly the open-air museum of mosaics that has made Tornareccio a true reference point for this type of art. To complete the magic, one cannot be silent about the hospitality of the people of Tornareccio: a community open to exchange, confrontation and sharing. It is really true, if you pass through Tornareccio you will never forget it again because you will find satisfaction for the taste, for the eyes and for the heart.

This alchemy has meant that Tornareccio, over the past two years, has also become a fertile ground for the training and educational activities of dozens and dozens of young Europeans through the European Commission’s Erasmus+ Youth Program. Promoting these initiatives was the ARCI of Chieti, which in 2021 received fromII the National Agency for Youth (which is in charge of the implementation in Italy of the Youth sector of the Erasmus program) an accreditation for the realization of a three-year project plan that has as its main target group young people and those who work with young people (educators, youth workers, association managers, volunteers, etc.). From March 2022 to July 2023, the Chieti ARCI carried out as many as six Erasmus projects in Tornareccio: two study visits, one training course and three youth cultural exchanges, involving more than 170 people from different European countries. Various themes were addressed during the projects precisely because the Tornareccio area can offer many training opportunities: from social entrepreneurship linked to the enhancement of the territory to environmental education, from youth work in rural areas to artistic expressiveness as a tool for youth inclusion.

Thanks to these projects, to the interaction with the tornarecciana community and its peculiarities, and to the creativity and inventiveness of the young Europeans involved, a great number of “outcomes” characterized by a high qualitative and methodological level have been realized.

The latest among the Erasmus projects carried out in Tornareccio were those related to the project strand “ARTISTIC EXPRESSION TO FACILITATE YOUTH INCLUSION PROCESSES,” which, through a pathway

3-year educational and experiential based on the approaches given byII Non Formal Education and to give continuity to the Field Work that has been carried out over the years in Europe, intends to support the direct involvement of young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and to promote their I their critical thinking and expressiveness using artistic and creative languages.

The training course, the first activity of the three-year course, was held in May 2023 with the aim of involving young artists (youth and social workers, educators, youth workers, NGO and youth center leaders, peer educators, volunteers) and developing innovative approaches with Ioro to facilitate and improve both the inclusion of youth with fewer opportunities and community development. Participants acquired new skills, abilities, and methodologies through a training course in which Non-Formal Education methodologies and hands-on art tools (Murals, Storytelling through Video and Comics, Visual Art Communication) capable of touching different areas of young people’s daily lives were used.

In July 2023, also in Tornareccio, the youth exchange took place, the main purpose of which was to directly involve young people in cultural and social life in order to encourage, empower and enhance at the European level their active citizenship. Participants had the opportunity to express and expose their point of view and creativity and to acquire new skills, abilities and methodologies through a training course composed of several practical workshops (Graphic Journalism, Murals, Video Stories).

In both meetings, the participants shared with the Tornareccio community the results obtained in the artistic workshops held: the events, entitled, “re-Tornareccio” were characterized by close collaboration with the civil and social fabric of Tornareccio involving local associations, producers, the choir “Counterpoint” and all local realities that contributed to the positive development of the projects.

Ln addition, all the products produced during the two international meetings flow into the volume “Bitta Generation No. 4 – re-Tornareccio,” a fifth publication (includes a zero issue that was dedicated to raising solidarity and funds for the AquiIa earthquake) created in 2009 and collecting artworks produced by international artists during European meetings such as the one held in Tornareccio.

The positive results achieved would not have been possible without the invaluable contribution of the Tornareccio community, which welcomed the young Europeans with its trademark warmth and enthusiasm. The people of Tornareccio shared knowledge, traditions and expertise with the European participants that provided an unparalleled source of inspiration for the young artists. This community proudly contributes to bridging the gap between the tornareccian and European cultures. In addition, the Municipal Administration of Tornareccio, led by the volcanic Mayor Nicola lannone, has from the very beginning been firmly convinced of how artistic language represents one of the most popular ways that young people use to express themselves, their desires, their ideas and is increasingly identified as I tool adopted to interact with society, their contexts, their peers. The Administration of Tornareccio continues to welcome, with great enthusiasm, young Europeans in its territory in order to initiate and consolidate paths of inclusion and reflection on the social role of young people through art and culture, reaffirming how Tornareccio, thanks to its cultural, enogastronomic and environmental peculiarities, offers an ideal context to the development of this type of projects.

Tornareccio, March 15, 2024 Giorgio Micoli and Mario Serrao