VIATORES - Musical and interdisciplinary paths through the Isonzo bioregion / Grado

VIATORES is a six-stage journey through the areas marked by the Soča river. Each stage offers a nature or historical excursion accompanied by a guide and a concert with ancient instruments in one of the many ancient churches in the Isonzo area.

6.30 p.m. Meeting point: square in front of the Basilica of St Euphemia Guided tour on the history of urbanisation and the urban layout of Grado.

The thousand-year history of Grado still shows the folds of time, the signs of an important past for the development of the city of Aquileia as a port, emporium and cultural and artistic centre.

The ancient walls have enclosed, and for centuries jealously guarded, a cultural heritage that time has transformed into one of the most beautiful villages in our region. The inevitable urban development has merged ancient and contemporary, giving new shape to the castrum that is still recognisable from time to time.

Added to this is the modernity of a slow and proximity-based tourism, which allows an experience of sharing times and spaces from different eras, suspended in the magic and charm of a surprising lagoon.

The guided urban walk is an experience that allows one to immerse oneself in today's urban context, learning to recognise the signs of the city that once was and the folds that history has shaped and will continue to shape. 8 p.m. Basilica of St Euphemia Bilingual lecture by Andrea Bellavite on the history of the Basilica and the development of Christianity in Aquileia.

The current building of the Basilica, completed in 579, was built on the site where the ‘basilica of Petrus’, erected in the 4th century, already existed.

The interior, structured in three naves, culminates in the apse basin dominated by the large fresco of Christ in a mandorla surrounded by symbols of the Evangelists and Saints Hermacora, John the Baptist and Fortunatus.

Above the altar is the Golden Altarpiece of Venetian workmanship, donated in 1372 by the Mazzalorsa family.

The large mosaic floor from the 6th century is characterised by geometric-ornamental and symbolic depictions, including the recurring decoration of sea waves on the shoreline.

To follow: Concert by the Dramsam Ensemble and the Komel Vocal Group - Ars Atelier The Vermilion Book of Montserat A few dozen kilometres from Barcelona, on the Montserrat mountain range, there is still the monastery of Montserat, a Marian sanctuary and pilgrimage destination since the 9th century.

The Libro Vermiglio (Vermilion Book) of Montserat is an important manuscript compiled between the 14th and 15th centuries in the monastery itself, which contains a small collection of learned and popular songs, almost a musical snapshot of what popular devotion was like in the Middle Ages and how it was expressed.

The songs include refined and meditative polyphonies, but at the same time sung dances of a decidedly joyful and lively character.

The performance with voices and ancient instruments is intended to restore this atmosphere of joy and at the same time meditation that marks this extraordinary and unique collection of pilgrims' songs, and is the result of the Ensemble Dramsam's collaboration with the Komel Vocal Group - Ars Atelier.

Ensemble Dramsam Alessandra Cossi: Voice, synphony, percussion Elisabetta de Mircovich: Voice, vielle Marco Ferrari: Flutes, bagpipes Claudio Zinutti: Voice, portative organ Fabio Accurso: Lutes, direction Komel Vocal Group - Ars Atelier Mateja Černic Conducting Discover all the events of the review: www.dramsam.org/viatores