(ANSA) - TRIESTE - Ten journalists, archaeologists and bloggers have reached Aquileia from Slovenia, Serbia and Italy to participate in a five-day road tour along the ancient Roman road linking Aquileia to Viminacium in Serbia through Ljubljana (ancient Emona) and Sremska Mitrovica (ancient Sirmium). This is the Archest project, funded by the 2014-2020 Creative Europe Programme, of which the Aquileia Foundation is a leading partner. The other participants involved in the project are the Civic Museum of Ljubljana, the Archaeological Institute of Serbia and the Institute for the promotion of the cultural heritage of Sremska Mitrovica. ''This project - the Aquileia Foundation director Cristiano Tiussi said - links some cities that in the Roman period had very close affinities, and that today, in the European context, find new possibilities to share the common roots and build valuable cultural and tourist itineraries''. The Archest project aims to promote internationalization of those who are employed in the cultural sector (archaeologists, 3D designers,journalists) keeping an eye on popularization and audience development, a new priority of the cultural programme of the European Commission which aims to expand the number of people (and categories) involved in the enjoyment of cultural assets. It also aims to conquer, thanks to new forms of involvement suh as 3D reconstructions, social media, guided tours for young or disabled. Upcoming Archest project events are: a conference on storytelling in archeology and funding opportunities for cultural businesses, thanks to EU funds, on Friday 9th June in Aquileia, whereas, on Saturday 10th June, an ''Open day'' will take place in archaeological areas, with guided tours to excavations realized thanks to the co-operation between the Universities of Padua, Udine, Trieste and the Monuments and Fine Arts Department of the FVG region, along with educational workshops for children in the Stalla Pasqualis and themed visits to the National Archaeological Museum in Aquileia.

(ANSA).