Mtaħleb waterfall. Photos: Daniel Cilia

From the 2,000-year-old Bidnija olive trees to Gozo’s famous Fungus Rock, 52 sites caught on camera by Daniel Cilia gave visitors to a Rome exhibition a taste of Malta’s heritage and cultural diversity.

Forming part of an event ahead of the crowning of Valletta, Matera (in southern Italy) and Rijeka (in Croatia) as European Capitals of Culture in the next three years, Mr Cilia’s exhibition reflected the island’s geology from prehistory to the present day.

Entitled Beyond the Obvious: Cultural Agora, the event provided the three future European Capitals of Culture with a platform to exchange views and rethink the potentials of the common cultural and social heritage.

The event included two round tables bringing together experts from cities that already held the title and those gearing up for it.

One common link between the three prospective European Capitals of Culture are their Mediterranean roots. Since antiquity, the Mediterranean has always been a vibrant cultural space. What the Romans called Mare Nostrum has not only been a home for diverse populations but also a laboratory of cross cultural exchanges.

Abbatija tad-Dejr canopied tomb

Today, this connection can be reinterpreted through globalisation, in terms of mobility and migration but also through the greater individual access to various media, which have become the portal through which to recreate new artistic and human networks and collaborations.

Held at the Palazzo delle Esposizione di Roma, the event was organised by the Austrian Cultural Forum Rome, the British Council, the Bulgarian Cultural Institute, Culture Action Europe, the Embassy of Croatia, the Embassy of Malta, the Embassy of Slovenia and the European Commission Representation in Italy.

The exhibition was held upon the initiative of the Ambassador of Malta to Italy, Vanessa Frazier.

St Paul’s Island sunrise