First Summit of European Capitals of Culture Held in Florence

On November 5-6, 2018, Florence hosted the inaugural conference for European Capitals of Culture, bringing together mayors from both past and upcoming capitals. The conference's final declaration seeks to establish a biennial network of mayors. Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage Alberto Bonisoli and European Commissioner Tibor Navracsics inaugurated the event, which aligned with the European Year of Cultural Heritage and originated from the G7 culture meeting in March 2016. Mayor Dario Nardella highlighted the importance of cities maintaining their status as cultural capitals. The event featured Unity in Diversity, where awards were presented to Nuevo Cuscatlà, Matera, and Genoa, and an installation by artist Emilio Isgrò was gifted to Matera.