To honor Carlo and Anna Maria Cecchini, whose passion for this place continues to inspire present generations, the Cecchini Bisoni family founded the in 1999. As well as supporting the study and appreciation of Etruscan lands and culture, the non-profit association has become a center for cultural and artistic activities and is now the home of an international music festival.
In undertaking the work of the association, we are conserving and promoting the history of Tuscia, in which the Castello di Proceno plays a central part. Continuously inhabited for many centuries, the castle is part of the history of the Via Francigena, the pilgrim's road from Canterbury to Rome. Like a river, with its many tributaries and wide basin, the Via Francigena embodies history in the land and the monuments, churches and hospitals along its path. To help young generations understand who they are by understanding where they have come from, we must promote modern pilgrimages along this ancient road, where each stage of the journey is a point of arrival and departure, where the journey is more than just a 1000-kilometre walk. By travelling along the Via Francigena as pilgrims, we can recover the spirit of our European identity.
To help younger generations understand who they are, we must also help them understand their art and culture. The extraordinary adventure of the association's Convivio in Musica springs from our awareness that culture must be built and that everyone must be involved in building it. The association's many cultural activities, held mainly in the courtyard or in the summer restaurant of the castle and in the old San Martino church, draw music and art lovers from all over the world to beautiful and unspoiled Tuscia.
Proceno has the good fortune to find itself in this culturally rich area. And we want to do all in our power to promote the history and culture of the Proceno area, so little known but so rich in its countryside and its history, particularly now when love of history and culture has almost completely disappeared.