On the occasion of the National Day of Culture, established in honor of the poet France Prešeren, the Municipality of Piran annually organizes a solemn ceremony at the Portorož Auditorium, where the mayor awards the Tartini Prize, intended for those who have distinguished themselves in the local cultural sphere. For 2021, the award was given to the “Famea dei salineri” but given the precarious health situation, the in-person ceremony was cancelled and the award ceremony was resumed outdoors in Piazza Tartini. A bilingual video postcard was created and distributed on the official website of the Municipality, with images of some important monuments of the cultural heritage of Piran, linked to the Tartini family and images of the salt pans of Sečovlje, which run to the notes of the “Four sonatas for four” by Giuseppe Tartini performed by the “Piran String Quartet”. In the “Year of Tartini”, proclaimed by the government, Mayor Đenio Zadković addressed his fellow citizens, thanking all those who, through cultural initiatives over the years, have worked hard to enhance, promote and preserve the heritage of the great violinist. In awarding the prize to the “Famea dei salineri”, represented by a part of the activists, the mayor Zadković motivated the award to the ethnographic group “for the commitment made to maintain and give visibility to the cultural and natural heritage of a unique territory such as the salt pans”. He then thanked the cultural institutions, public bodies and associations, which collaborated in the preparation of a varied and full-bodied cultural programme on the occasion of the 330th anniversary of the birth of the most illustrious Piran native. He wished everyone to continue to diligently guard the extraordinary wealth of the material and immaterial cultural heritage. “The gradual resumption of cultural events is extremely important,” he stressed, “especially in the current circumstances, which have forced many into a cultural moratorium. I remain optimistic and I am convinced that everyday life will soon return to what it was before,” concluded the mayor. In the video postcard, the group leader of the “Famea dei salineri”, Giorgina Rebol, thanked for the recognition, specifying that the credit goes to all its members, who have carried on the tradition since 2004. “We are people tied to salt and to our town and we do not want to forget our traditions. Salt pans are a specific sector of our area, which has provided work to many Piran residents and guaranteed them a decent standard of living. Our ancestors and our parents lived here, so we know this work well and we want to pass it on and introduce it to those who have never heard of it. We are proud of the Tartini Prize, which gives us the ability to tell the whole world about salt pans, how salt is obtained, and its unparalleled quality,” Rebol observed.

Source: The Voice of the People – 09/02/2022