International Conference, 7 May 2026
Curia Julia – Colosseum Archaeological Park
The international meeting organized by the Aeneas Route Association and the Colosseum Archaeological Park presents the journey, across the world and through the centuries, of a foundational myth of European culture. Enea 2026. Origins, Dissemination and Contemporary Relevance of a Foundational Myth of Italian and European Culture, to be held on 7 May in Rome at the Curia Julia, aims not only to highlight the importance that the voyage of the Trojan hero has had worldwide in art, archaeology, literature and music, but also to recall that it was precisely in the Curia Julia that, four years ago in 2022, the Aeneas Route cultural itinerary received its certification from the Council of Europe.
Enea 2026 will therefore offer an opportunity to illustrate archaeological aspects linked to the myth of Aeneas, with contributions from Francesca Boldrighini, Fulvio Coletti, Aura Picchione, Paola Quaranta and Andrea Schiappelli, members of the archaeological team studying the areas of the Colosseum Archaeological Park; from Carlo Rescigno of the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, director of the excavations at Cuma; from Lucrezia Ungaro, specialist on the Forum of Augustus, former director of the Museum of the Imperial Fora and expert archaeologist of the Aeneas Route Association; and from Jorida Muho, director of the foundation managing the UNESCO site of Butrint in Albania. The conference will also explore lesser-known aspects of the role played by Virgil and the Aeneid over the centuries and beyond the borders of Europe. With Stephen Harrison of the University of Oxford, we will discover the importance of the Aeneid in the administration of the British Empire’s overseas colonies; Alexandre Pinheiro Hasegawa of the University of São Paulo will illustrate the significance of the Aeneid in Portuguese-language literature; Paola Besutti, distinguished musicologist from Mantua and member of the Accademia Nazionale Virgiliana, will guide us through a musical journey in the footsteps of Aeneas; and Paola Degni of Ca’ Foscari University will lead us through the imagery of the poem as preserved in some of the oldest surviving manuscripts. A contribution by Francesco Artibani, one of Italy’s leading comic-book authors, will present the scriptwriting work behind the forthcoming PaperEneide, a parody of the Aeneid for younger generations and one of the outcomes of the Aeneas Route Association’s extensive efforts to promote the myth.
Enea 2026 renews the collaboration between the Aeneas Route Association and the Colosseum Archaeological Park, one of the project’s earliest supporters.
For the full programme and registration details: https://colosseo.it/evento/enea-2026/