Strategies for a cultural Europe

The aim of this article is to offer a contribution to the understanding of what occurs when ‘culture’ and ‘Europe’ meet in a local context. Specifically, the subject of study is the Festival of Europe (Festival d’Europa), a biennial event dedicated to European themes held in the city of Florence (Italy). The article analyzes the origins of the Festival, the idea of culture embraced by its organizers, and cultural performances staged by local actors during the 2015 edition, combining top-down and bottom-up perspectives. The article provides evidence-based reflections on how European-centered cultural repertoires are developed and experienced using qualitative methods of data collection and analysis.