Posted on 30 May 2017
Saturday 6 May saw the Historical Archives of the European Union opening its doors to the public for the fifth time. In its beautiful grounds, at Villa Salviati, the HAEU hosted a day of art, music and fun activities for all ages. The Open Day gathered 2.100 visitors to enjoy the rich cultural programme despite some showers.
The Open Day kicked off at 10 a.m. when the first guided-tour group was led into the gardens and grottoes of Villa Salviati for the exploration of its architectural and natural heritage. The guided tours were available throughout the day, as were circus and art and crafts workshops for children, and two sculpture exhibitions by Lorenzo Galligani and Francesco Roviello. The HAEU’s archivists also gave guided tours to the storage rooms.
Mary, a HAEU archivist, thought that “there was a great turn-out for the guided tours of our repositories, with Florentines manifesting their habitual fascination with culture and history. This time they were intrigued by the archival sources on the history of European integration. Obviously names such as Alcide De Gasperi, Altiero Spinelli and Ernesto Rossi garnered most interest”.
Gherardo, HAEU’s deputy director and archivist, presented the exhibition of documents from the Alcide De Gasperi private archives, which had also been on display the day before during the State of the Union conference at Palazzo Vecchio on 5 May. Gherardo said:
“Firstly, the exhibit cases were a success. People spent some time in front of them. De Gasperi’s memory is still alive.” Gherardo continued pointing out other documents of interest to the visitors: “Secondly, the historical cartoons about the British entry into the EU stimulated questions about Brexit and the present situation. People are curious about the next political steps and the destiny of the EU.”
The Open Day also entertained visitors with two Florentine musical performances, and several refreshment stands kept visitors’ taste buds happy.
All in all the visitors were enjoying the Open Day and all it had to offer. One visitor, Andrea, stated that: “The Open Day was a great opportunity to get to see one of the Florentine villas up-close. I like that there were many activities, sake tasting and all those other food stands. From all the activities my favourite was the tour to your vaults, it was really interesting. Definitely something you don’t get to see every day. Good way to let people know what you guys do.”
Photos of the event are available on the State of the Union website and on the HAEU's Facebook.