The fourth edition of F.I.R.E. (Aeneas Route International Festival) ended on May 10–11 with a new format of decentralized events designed to promote the Virgilian Cities Network (Rete delle Città Virgiliane). The closing events took place in symbolic locations for the Aeneas Route Association: Rione Terra, the Basilica of San Procolo Martire, and the Acropolis of Cuma. Earlier editions of F.I.R.E. highlighted the culture and traditions of various countries in the network: Greece took center stage in 2021, followed by Albania in 2022, and in 2023 the theme focused on “Aeneas’ Crater: Naples and/is the Mediterranean.”
The festival was organized by the Aeneas Route Association with support from the Archaeological Park of the Phlegraean Fields, and in collaboration with regional and local administrations, the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, the “Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio per l’Area Metropolitana di Napoli” and Slow Food Italia. This spring’s edition also welcomed participation from the Diocese of Pozzuoli and Puteoli Sacra.
The final phase of the festival offered attendees an itinerary through archeology, art and theatre, reflecting on the foundational values of Western and European civilizations, values passed down by the ancient Mediterranean Sea embodied in masterpieces like the Aeneid.
On May 10 the program featured a gathering in the cathedral involving the Aeneas Route Association, the Archaeological Park of the Phlegraean Fields and the Diocese of Pozzuoli, with local authorities in attendance. On May 11, the festival featured a performance of “L’arrivo di Virgilio” (“The Arrival of Virgil”), inspired by “The Death of Virgil” by Hermann Broch, based on an idea by Giovanni Cafiero. The cast included Raffaele Gangale and Andrea Sirianni as the Mantuan poet and the Emperor Octavian Augustus, with performers Luna Marongiu and Cristina Putignano, directed by Cinzia Maccagnano. The first phase of F.I.R.E took place last autumn between Sorrento, Naples, and the Phlegraean Fields.
