The guardians of memory: how Catania invests in young people and culture and 'opens' the monuments

Catania looks at itself in the mirror again and imagines its future starting from what has always defined it: culture. The candidacy for Italian Capital of Culture 2028 (the winning city will be announced by the 27th) is not just a dossier to be presented in Rome, but a signal of a city that in recent years has rediscovered theaters, libraries, festivals, exhibitions, and public spaces as vibrant places, crossed by a new participation.

Between the baroque of the squares and the shadow of Etna, there is a widespread demand for beauty, knowledge, and sharing. It is the voice of students, artists, associations, and citizens who are asking for a city more open, more curious, more aware of its own history and talent.

And it is under this cultural aegis that the initiative of the Archaeological Park of Catania and the Valley of Aci fits in, which, first among the 14 in the Region, introduced an innovative system for engaging young volunteers of the Civil Service assigned for a year to some archaeological and monumental sites last July. “Guardians” who are young, trained, and motivated, ready to welcome visitors and tourists with a service of supervision and enjoyment. A total of 42 “volunteers”, aged between 18 and 28 years, all regularly paid for 25 hours of weekly work, have been “recruited” through a call to strengthen the staff of guardians, whose number was insufficient for managing the various sites.

Three sites are “guarded” - the San Francesco Borgia church, the thermae of the Rotonda, and those of the Indirizzo - with staggering numbers. Visitor flows have indeed increased exponentially: in total, the three sites recorded 85,042 visitors in 2025: 63,379 at the San Francesco Borgia church; 7,332 at the thermae of the Rotonda; and 14,341 at the thermae of the Indirizzo.

"The project of the Civil Service - explains to La Sicilia Giuseppe D'Urso, director of the Archaeological Park - arises from the need to open the more than twenty sites between the city and province of the archaeological park, at least the most important ones, to address the shortage of custodians mainly related to demographic issues. Two years ago we started the process, we were accredited, we presented the project that involved seven sites and 42 young people who are currently serving. The numbers have proven us right. Just consider, for example, that the Church of San Francesco Borgia has recorded between six and eight thousand visitors per month. Likewise, the ancient theater, Casa Liberti, and the Thermae of the Rotonda have reached high visitor numbers with the site also open to cultural activities and small performances. And also the Thermae of Indirizzo, close to the nightlife areas. The idea is to extend the project to the province to make the other sites of Adrano and Caltagirone accessible. For these 42 young people, it is an experience that is not only a life experience but also formative, giving them a significant background for public competitions. In July, they will be replaced by equally selected young people to ensure continuity in the already initiated path."

Mario Lipari, 28 years old, has a bachelor's degree in Cultural Heritage obtained in Catania, a master's degree, and a master's in Museum Management in Milan. He is the representative of the Church of San Francesco Borgia where he also collaborates in organizing events, conferences, presentations, and temporary exhibitions. "It is a formative experience on one hand, but it especially provides the opportunity to put into practice the skills learned either through other work experiences or simply from books. An opportunity to apply what has been studied. We are responsible for keeping the sites open and maintaining a constant flow of visitors, preventing any closures that could compromise the cultural offer provided by the Archaeological Park. We accompany visitors to discover these sites that either had limited opening hours or were not open at all and that now, instead, are accessible. The adventure will be completed at the end of June."

Giulia Giardina, 27 years old, with a bachelor's degree in Classical Literature and a graduate student in Archaeology, is the representative of the Thermae of the Rotonda, a site chosen based on her studies. "I believe that the usefulness of Civil Service for the activities of enjoyment and supervision has been a winning idea, proudly shared with my colleagues, especially in cultural and museum assets that otherwise could not be opened to the public due to a lack of staff. There are many Catanese people who, by pure chance, pass by via Della Mecca and via Marino and see the Thermae of the Rotonda for the first time, even asking what it is. We tell them about the site, the archaeological stratification, and in some cases, even the story of the magician Eliodoro. What perhaps is missing is a common thread that connects and links the sites for greater awareness among visitors of what the history of our city is. Thus, creating a conscious tourism increasingly oriented towards understanding, enjoying these archaeological assets, using these sites also in a contemporary key, and developing that sense of belonging to the places that is lacking. A series of historical, philological, and archaeological information inserted in the context that makes everything more interesting. Among the visitors, there is a very high percentage of foreign tourists, including French and Americans (but also Russians, Ukrainians, and Israelis) who are interested in our sites. Perhaps we should consider the choice of implementing an entrance ticket useful for maintaining those services and reducing the burden on the park."

Alessia Bravato, the “guardian” of the Thermae of the Indirizzo, is 28 years old, has a bachelor's degree in Languages, and is from Syracuse. For her master's degree, she chose Investigation, Crime, and International Security. "As a recent graduate, together with my boyfriend, we seized the opportunity offered by Civil Service. And the choice of the site at Piazza Currò, which we always saw closed, was not casual. Many knew of the existence of this site, but not what it was. A super positive experience starting from the amazement of many Catanese, especially the elderly, who were able to admire that site where they once played, studied, or spent their free time. The residents of the area have also learned to build community, thinking of the cats that roam near the site, and incredibly, they are the ones who take care of us. Six months have passed, we are at the halfway point, and the hope is that the project can continue."

A daily and precious presence, therefore. Just like culture: "a treasure to safeguard and pass on".