PARMA – The colourful island of Procida has officially been handed the symbolic baton and deemed Italy’s Capital of Culture 2022 in a ceremony held in the Emiglia Romagna city that held the position last year.

 The ceremony took place Friday at 3 p.m. in the Teatro Regio in Parma. The event was attended in person by invitation only, but live-streamed from the official Procida 2022 Facebook page for millions to see.

 National, regional and local institutions were present. The mayor of Procida Dino Ambrosino and the director of Procida 2022, Agostino Riitano, talked with the mayor of Parma, Federico Pizzarotti, the councillor for culture Michele Guerra and representatives of other Italian capitals of culture, past and future.

 "We are proud to launch in Parma, in a moment of such great symbolic value, a path in which we will represent Campania, but also all the smaller islands and small villages of Italy,” said Procida mayor Ambrosino.

 Procida is one of the Flegrean Islands off the coast of Naples. It has been the setting for several novels, such as Graziella by Alphonse de Lamartine and Arthur's Island by Elsa Morante.

 2022’s cultural capital has also been the location of numerous films, including The Postman and The Talented Mr. Ripley. In 2013, Fabrizio Borgogna launched the Procida Film Festival, an international contest for young movie directors and writers.

 Riitano commented, "from Parma, we proudly collect the legacy of a unique experience that will translate, for the island, into a path of cooperation and social innovation.”

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