The Centre Cultural la Misericòrdia is hosting a new edition of the Maremagnvm Classical Culture Festival organised by the Consell and the Maremagnvm Balearic Association. From the 21st of March to the 3rd of April a series of conferences, workshops, guided tours and free re-enactments will be held. The aim of the programme is to disseminate classical culture and bring it closer to the public. Among other activities, there will also be a storyteller in which Odysseus will be the protagonist.

The main theme of this year’s edition is travel. The slogan is “All roads lead to Rome”. The aim is to reflect on the reasons why people travelled in ancient times in order to make comparisons with the present day. It will also study how knowledge travelled in the ancient world and how the works of Virgil, the most important poet of ancient Latin literature, were transmitted.

The president of the Maremagnvm Baleares Association, Maria José Valle, explained that the festival also includes the Forvm, an activity exclusively for students from schools studying Latin, Greek, classical culture or any other discipline related to the ancient world.

Programme of the Maremagnvm 2024 Classical Culture Festival in Palma

festival cultura clásica maremagnvm palma

21st March

  • 19:00. Inauguration of the Classical Culture Festival 2024: All roads lead to Rome. By María José Valle, President of the association Maremagnvm Baleares and Maria Isabel Arnau, Director of Historical Heritage of the Consell Insular de Patrimonio Histórico del Consell. Room on the first floor. Courtyard of the Centre Cultural de la Misericòrdia – Plaça del Hospital, 4 – Palma.
  • 19:30. Lecture: “Verba (Vergiliana) Volante: Viajes (virgilianos) por tierra, mar y aire” by Dr. Antònia Soler. First floor hall. Courtyard of the Centre Cultural de la Misericòrdia – Plaça del Hospital, 4 – Palma. Free activity.

22nd March

  • 9:00 – 14:00 – FORVM for schools – Historical recreation workshops to learn about the ancient world. Pati del Centre Cultural de la Misericòrdia – Plaça del Hospital, 4. Registration in advance.

23rd March

  • 11 :00. Guided tour: Classical myths in the streets of Palma. The vestiges of classical culture surround us at every step we take. The streets of our cities are full of them. We discover the myths that accompany us in the streets of Palma as we take a stroll. Meeting point: Statues of the Romans on Palma’s Rambla. Free activity. Prior registration.
  • 16:30 – 19:00. FORVM: Historical recreation workshops for the whole family: magic papyri, miniature legionaries, parvularium, Roman games, mythological games, reading corner and more surprises.
  • 16:45. Lighting of the sacred fire of Vesta and procession of her priestesses.
  • 17:15 . Storytelling: ‘The Journey of Odysseus’. The great Greek hero had thousands of adventures on his voyage. Do you think the sun went out or did the gods help him?
  • 17:45 . Life (and death) at a Ludus Gladiatorius. What was the daily life of the gladiators? The truth of the competition in the arena: fight, spectacle or survival?
  • 18:15 . Probatio. The Roman legions were made up of healthy, strong men who met the legal requirements of the Roman Empire. Could you pass the tests to form part of the Roman army? Jardines de La Misericòrdia. Via Roma, 2 – Palma. Free activity.
  • 20 :00. Rome by night. Historical re-enactment show. All roads lead to Rome and this one will take us to the year 49 B.C.E., exactly to the Aventí, the plebeian valley par excellence of the capital of the Empire, where life does not stop when night falls. Courtyard of the Misericòrdia Cultural Centre – Plaça del Hospital, 4 – Palma. Free activity. Registration in advance.

24th March

  • 11 :00. Conference: “All roads lead to Rome” by Dr. Fernando Lillo Redonet. Afterwards, tasting of Roman cuisine. Matilde Escalas Hall. *Can Balaguer – C/ Unión, 3 – Palma. Free activity. Prior registration.

3rd April

  • 19:00. Lecture: “El último viaje: inscripciones funerarias latinas del Museo de Mallorca” (The Last Journey: Latin funerary inscriptions from the Museum of Mallorca) by José Antonio Campillo. Joint activity of the Museum of Mallorca and the Friends of the Museum of Mallorca Association. Museum of Mallorca – C/ de la Portella, 5 – Palma. Free activity. Registration in advance at museudemallorca@dgcultur.caib.es or by calling 971 177 838.