The welcoming of the participants is spread out throughout the entire day, being set to end at the Il Barbarossa restaurant.

Palazzo Chigi welcome

The 23rd of October was a day of intense work (with a total duration of 9 hours), in the boardroom of the Palazzo Chigi. After welcoming our new Romanian partners Angela Sterpu and Angela Ginta, representing the Accentul Circumflex Association and Nicolae Vasilescu Karpen Technical Communications College, respectively, Aline Rutily recalled the objectives of the meeting and greeted mayor Valeria Agnelli.

Mayor Valeria Agnelli’s welcoming speech was an opportunity of showing San Quirico’s support towards the work carried out by the Tagliolini Foundation, for the « Paths of the Colour Blue in Europe » project. The opening ceremony was particularly engaging and joyful, being marked by the songs of students, teachers and parents from the schools of San Quirico and Castiglione d’Orcia, surrounding the theme of the colour blue.

The three exhibitions
In the rooms of the Palazzo Chigi, the participants were able to admire the ceramics made by the disabled adults of the Riesso Sociale Cooperative in Siena, based on traditional 18th century patterns and designs. A different area presented the pottery and drawings made by primary school pupils from Castiglione and San Quirico d’Orcia.

On the upper floor of the palace, works of art created by the students of the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence were exposed, under the guidance of Carlo Pizzichini. Some other achievements include works based on the Greek myth of Zeus kidnapping Europe, through painting, marble, bronze and terracotta, all of these being created by students of the Academy of Carrara, led by Piergiorgio Balocchi.

The delegations then left the Palace for a short visit through the old town, the college affiliated church, along the Via Francigena, the town square and also Horti Leonini, the venue of the Form Nel Verde sulla Francigena 2017. This year, the theme of the exhibition is the Garden of Europe, represented by a waterfall, made of blue bin liner, which goes down the steps of the Horti, seeming to give life to the artistic creations made by the students of the Carrara Academy, under the direction of Simonetta Baldini and Gaia Pasi.

The three exhibitions were the subjects of a printed catalogue and also several articles in the regional and national press.

Roads of the Blue across the territory of San Quirico

After a quick lunch in Pienza, city of the Renaissance, Rossellino and Pope Pius II, the group was welcomed at the local city school by students, teachers and parents of students involved in the project.

Within the school, several works of art were presented to the participants : collages of dried flowers, paintings made with pigments extracted from flowers, collections of dried plants from the countryside, drawings on plates of glass, clothing and also some theatrical representation on the theme of the colour blue, written and interpreted by the students. The party ended with the happy songs of young people excited by the opportunity of performing in front of an international audience. _The day ended with an evening visit and dinner in Bagno Vignoni, near the Acqua Terme.
The following day was an opportunity to visit the "path of the colour blue" of the host team, in Siena, city of art and of Palio, with several objects rich in colour, such as the flags of Palio, the antico Spedale, the Piazza del Duomo, the Torre del Mangia, the mosaic-inlaid pavements of the Duomo, the frescoes of the Piccolomini Library, the Piazza del Campo with the majestic Torre del Mangia.

The evaluations of the meeting testify to the great satisfaction of the participants, delighted by the high quality of teamwork in San Quirico, the extreme kindness of the hosts, the warmth of their welcome, the great beauty of their territory, with the shared pride in being European and participating in such a beautiful Erasmus + project, able to reveal the richness that is in all of us.

Paolo Naldi, Director of the Tagliolini Foundation, San Quirico d’Orcia, IT