Discovering the architectural side of Naples with preAgora event WE WE

After a first sneak peek at Roma Autumn Agora Cagliari Pre-Event and the one organised by AEGEE-Milano, the next one will take place in the lovely southern city of Naples. AEGEE-Napoli, along with their twin local AEGEE-Lviv, will organize the WE WE – West east PreAgora event focusing mostly on architecture. We spoke with the main organizer Nicola Guida to discover more about the event and their relationship with AEGEE-Lviv.

Erika: WE WE. What is the secret behind the title?
Nicola:
 WE WE is a “connection of connections”, an idea to briefly represent our multicultural project. Firstly in English “WE” means us. All together, no barriers, no division, exactly the concept of a border-less Europe. Secondly, being an acronym it connects West with East with a special reference to the Napoli-Lviv twin project. Thirdly in Neapolitan language the exclamation “WE” (or UE) is used for many purposes: to greet, to show surprise, to catch the attention of another person and in general to set a positive connection between people. So there are plenty of hidden meanings as you can see!

When was the idea of a pre event born?
Well as soon as it was announced that Cagliari was going to host the autumn Agora 2014 we got carried away by the enthusiasm and decided we couldn’t miss this chance! We want to give AEGEE members a chance to get a taste of Italy even before arriving to Cagliari!

Your pre event will focus on architecture. What should participants expect?
Through the narrow streets of Napoli they will travel back in time, discovering concrete traces of many different civilizations. We will offer participants knowledge about our city trying to away out from the usual way education provides information. With us they will be able not only to see and learn from an external point of view, but also to get deep inside knowledge and really feel the city.

The event is organized also by AEGEE-Lviv, that is rather far away from Napoli. What is the contribution of the Ukranian local?
They’ll be our fantastic and beautiful helpers in Napoli, making participants have a virtual tour of their city and holding a workshop on their culture!

What is the thing that two cities like Napoli and Lviv share together?
Many things! They are both full of history and atmosphere with warm and welcoming inhabitants. They are also multicultural cities having hosted many different civilizations. They have been ruled by different countries, always being the capital of their region and center of attraction for culture and art. As an example of this important past, their historical centers are both UNESCO heritage sites.

The fee of the event will be 77 euros. Not a coincidence for AEGEE-Napoli, even if a lot of mistery surrouds this number. Why 77 is your lucky number?
It’s a secret from Neapolitan Smorfia, only those who will come to the event will dissolve the fog of mystery!

You set the number to 24 participants. Will you stick to this number or are you able (or willing) to host more?
Unluckily the hostel has only this number of beds and we’re already going to host in our homes the fellow organizers from Lviv.

AEGEE-Napoli and AEGEE-Lviv signed the twin antenna agreement in Agora Patra. How is the relationship going so far?
We can say that it’s quite stable, we were friends before and we are still friends now! No post marital syndrome yet!

Why did you and Lviv choosed each other?
Well, we could say it was destiny… And a lot of things in common. Members from our antennae met frequently in different events in the past and always enjoyed the mutual company. Then during the New Years’ Eve event in Napoli The curious case of AEGEE-Napoli in 2012, we decided to “legalize” our relationship.

What are your upcoming project with AEGEE-Lviv?
An event in Lviv. But shhh.. It is still a secret!

More information about the event can be found here.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Venezia