This song could have been the soundtrack of the event which was held in Genoa just a few weeks ago.
Over two thousand people took part in the ‘Shared Dinner Event’ which took place in the historic center of Genoa this May: it entailed a huge table set across the three districts that now make up the old city (Prè, Maddalena and Molo neighborhoods) from Via Prè to San Giorgio square.
The formula was quite simple: those who could bring food and share it with the people sitting at their table and those who couldn’t bring food could sit down anyway and take part in the celebration. Food, drinks, but above all joy and conviviality beyond all barriers and prejudices were the main elements of the night.
This year's Shared Dinner represented an evolution of the event organized last year in Via del Campo alone. This year the table expanded along an even more evocative route thanks to the efforts of associations, clubs and committees of the historic center with the support of the municipality and private individuals alike.
Different ethnicities participated in the event
In the end the tables were not sufficient and more people than expected wanted to participate in the event but they could not sign up for a seat as the event was sold out (even if free of charge).
Being part of a community like this gives you goosebumps as there was an incredible energy that simply came out through the simplicity of a shared dinner. Thanks to everyone, to those who helped organize it and to those who participated, it was simply wonderful.
Genoa can and should be like that all the time, without prejudice or ideological barriers because what we want, the prevailing desire, is to live in harmony.
It was a great collective and spontaneous celebration, certainly activated by the network of associations structured in a community affiliated with the municipality of Genoa which for years has been committed to making the alleyways more liveable.
Looking at glimpses of the historic center the other evening, it seemed like being immersed in some old medieval painting that told the story of convivial joy lost over time.
Posters pro-peace hanging over the table
Each diner booked a seat and brought food to share from home, the laziest ones, or those who had been working until a few minutes before, came by with a pizza or a vegetable pie bought on the fly, and then the waltz of exchanging specialties began, swapped with the friend next to us, or the stranger at the other table.
The large table was almost a kilometer long, as in a village festivals from times gone by.
In this way, a portion of the historic center often the scene of drug dealing and small robberies (unfortunately) wanted to experience an alternative Saturday evening also for the numerous tourists, intrigued and involved by the immediate and widespread popular sociability.
Families participated too
Given the multicultural society of these neighborhoods, many people from different ethnicities came to share their ethnic specialties with neighbors and strangers.
It was nice to see all sorts of people, including children and some elderly, willing to participate in this event which, for sure, it will be proposed again next year too.
Let’s just hope that this time the table will be longer and even more people will have the chance to sit down and have a shared meal with both old and newly acquired friends.
