In 1985 the Council of Ministers of the European Union started regularly designating what they labelled the "European Capital of Culture". Florence, Bologna and Genoa are among the Italian cities that have already obtained this prestigious title, and in 2019 this honour will go to another Italian location, Matera.
As stated in the European Commission website, the initiative in meant to highlight the richness and diversity of cultures in Europe, to celebrate the cultural features Europeans share, to increase European citizens' sense of belonging to a common cultural area, and to foster the contribution of culture to the development of cities.
Fonte: This is Italy
