Matera 2026 has earned this title thanks to the project entitled ‘Terre Immerse’, which overturns the traditional narrative of the Mediterranean. The central idea is that the Mare Nostrum is not merely a body of water bounded by coastlines, but a genuine ‘cultural condition’ that penetrates deep into inland areas, flowing through the folds of the mainland. Matera, a city carved into the rock, becomes the archetype of these lands, revealing a geological paradox: the sea cannot be seen, yet it continues, solid and deep, at the heart of the inland landscapes and within the stratification of history. With this project, Matera turns the map on its head: it ceases to be in the south of the continent and establishes itself as the centre of gravity of the Euro-Mediterranean area, a strategic ‘stone bridge’ where Europe meets Africa and the Middle East.

Culture as ‘intangible oil’ and social infrastructure
The project adopts a cultural diplomacy approach, in which knowledge and culture are interpreted as ‘intangible oil’: an inexhaustible energy resource capable of generating development, stability and new long-term structural alliances. At the heart of it all lies the idea of culture as an essential public service and community infrastructure for mending the social fabric, placing people (and not just monuments) at the centre of development processes, with a view to “concrete humanism”.

The four pillars: the “Immersions”
The programme transforms the city into a permanent observatory structured around four overarching themes:

1. Stratifications (Time): Matera is viewed as a vertical stratigraphy in which eras and civilisations overlap without erasing one another. The aim is to delve into memory and explore the deep roots that unite the different shores.

2. Isolations (Space): A reflection on the resilience of inland and mountainous areas. Isolation is explored not as a limitation or a curse, but as a precious space for the preservation of authentic identities, spirituality and creative resilience.

3. Contaminations (Society): The Mediterranean is celebrated as a place of inevitable cultural mixing. It is demonstrated that no culture is pure, but that everything arises from encounter, exchange and millennia-long hybridisation with the other.

4. Transhumance (Movement): From ancient pastoral routes to modern migrations, whether physical or digital. Movement is affirmed as a natural, generative and unstoppable condition of being Mediterranean.

The Legacy: the Euro-Mediterranean network, the manifesto and projects across the region
The legacy of Matera 2026 will consist of tangible and intangible heritage that will continue to generate value well beyond the year of celebrations, unfolding on several levels:

 • The Network of Mediterranean Cultural Cities: building on the visibility afforded by the title, the Matera Basilicata 2019 Foundation is promoting the creation of a new long-term alliance between cities in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. The aim is to establish a permanent cooperation mechanism that uses cultural diplomacy to tackle common challenges (climate, migration, inclusion), promoting research, artist mobility and shared programming across the basin.

• The Manifesto of Euro-Mediterranean Citizenship: the civic and participatory culmination of the programme will be the drafting of the ‘Manifesto of Euro-Mediterranean Citizenship’, a collective, open-source document to define new codes and common rights for those inhabiting this space, reviving the ideal of culture and beauty as essential infrastructure for the well-being of the community.

• Artworks and artistic productions: the packed programme of international residencies will leave the city with a tangible physical and creative legacy. The works created by the artists (site-specific installations, exhibitions, short films, audiovisual productions and performances) will remain in the area, becoming permanent tools for promoting tourism and enriching Matera’s cultural offering.

• Recurring events and initiatives: many of the formats, festivals and cultural initiatives on the programme, created for 2026, are designed as pilot editions, intended to become regular, recurring events that will continue to enliven the city in the years to come.