THE ITALIAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY AND EUGEO AS HUBS OF GEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH AND THOUGH

The Italian Geographical Society (SGI) (http://www.societageografica.it/) was founded in Florence in 1867—at that time the Capital of Italy. Over the last 100 years, and still today, the headquarters has been based in Rome, Palazzetto Mattei, a 16th century building within Villa Celimontana, a public park a few hundred meters from the Colosseum. SGI mission is to promote and disseminate geographical culture and knowledge, enhancing the understanding of the territory, landscape, environment, and the safeguarding of cultural heritage. The SGI acts as a hub for geographical research and thought, with a network connecting academic scholars and geography enthusiasts in Italy, but also in connection with wider international networks. The SGI has always considered the international scale to be important, participating in the main scientific events of international geography. Precisely for this reason, the SGI is among the creators and founders of the Association of European Geographical Societies (EUGEO) (www.eugeo.eu). The initial objectives of EUGEO were to improve communication and exchange ideas between member institutions, to act as a lobbying body for geography in Europe, to improve synchronization of geographical research at a Pan-European level, and to identify new scientific and educational responsibilities for geography within Europe so as to position geography more fully within the center of the European debate. This European institution is now consolidated and carries out its functions in several ways. Contact and dialogue between the various geographical societies takes place through the annual General Assembly; the EUGEO Congresses have acquired increasing importance (in Barcelona, in 2024, the Congress was attended by 750 registered delegates representing 48 countries), taking place every two years and reaching the tenth edition in Vienna in 2025 (https://www.oeaw.ac.at/isr/eugeo-2025). To bring academic geography to contribute to the public debate, in 2018 EUGEO decided to bring to the European and then global scale a “popular” initiative born in 2017 in France thanks to the CNFG (EUGEO member): the GeoNight (www.geonight.net). The 2024 edition registered 286 approved events from 36 countries, with at least one event in each continent. Everyone is invited to submit an event proposal for the 2025 edition, which will be held on April 4th.