On Thursday, 8 October 2026, during Barcolana, the Urban Center in Trieste will host “The Blue Way – The Sea Begins in the Mountains”, a day dedicated to water, cross-border cooperation and the new challenges of more sustainable water resource management.
The event marks the conclusion of the Interreg Italy-Slovenia WABIN project, following more than two years of activities, research and exchange between Italy and Slovenia. It will be an opportunity to present the results achieved and, above all, to look ahead: towards new knowledge, tools and forms of cooperation that can continue beyond the lifetime of the project.
The morning session will focus on freshwater management, from the role of European programmes to the concrete results achieved by WABIN. The cross-border water balance model developed for the Italian-Slovenian area, the data collected during the project and experiences in participatory water management will be presented.
The event will also provide the opportunity for the presentation and signing of the cross-border Memorandum of Understanding, designed to ensure continuity for the cooperation developed between territories, institutions and stakeholders on both sides of the border.
Water will also be explored through the eyes of younger generations. During the event, the exhibition “Water Through the Eyes of Young People” will be inaugurated, showcasing the work of the under-25 finalists in the WABIN sections of the Premio Wigwam Stampa Italiana. This will be followed by the awards ceremony for the young authors competing in the sections “Water to Drink, Water to Work, Water to Live” and “The Culture of the Ditch”.
In the afternoon, the focus will shift from land to sea with AQUA-SHELF, a project dedicated to studying freshwater reserves beneath the seabed. Experts and researchers will explore current and future water-related challenges in Friuli Venezia Giulia, as well as the new opportunities offered by the study of offshore aquifers in the Northern Adriatic.
From the mountains to the sea, from rivers to groundwater: The Blue Way brings together research, territories, European policies and participation, highlighting that water knows no borders and that its management increasingly requires shared knowledge and cooperation.
📅 8 October 2026
📍 Urban Center – Corso Cavour 2/2, Trieste
🕘 From 9:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Participation is open upon prior registration.
For further information and enquiries: wabin.event@gmail.com
The event will be held in Italian and Slovenian, with simultaneous interpretation.
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