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Welcome to the 3rd European Symposium onDRUGS AND COLORS
On behalf of Aromas Itinerarium Salutis Association – The European Route of Historic Pharmacies and Medicinal Gardens-Cultural Route of the Council of Europe, Università degli Studi di Palermo and Fondazione Sicilia, we warmly invite you to the 3rd European Symposium on Drugs and Colors.
This exceptional event will bring together international experts, researchers and professionals on the fields of history of pharmacy, chemistry, heritage, botanic, museology, and enthusiasts to explore the fascinating intersection of pharmacology, natural dyes, and their cultural, scientific, and artistic heritage in Europe.
The third edition of the European Symposium Drugs & Colors explores the cultural legacy of materia medica through history, art, and ritual. A meeting point for researchers, heritage professionals, and Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe.
The venuePalermo, Italy
We are delighted to announce the 3rd European Symposium on Drugs and Colors, which will take place in the historic and vibrant city of Palermo, Italy.
As we gather in Palermo—a city renowned for its rich history and Mediterranean cultural influence—participants will have the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in an environment that epitomizes the confluence of science, art, and tradition.
The program will feature plenary sessions, interactive workshops, and cultural activities, including a tasting experience inspired by medicinal plants in Mediterranean eno-gastronomic traditions and guided city tour. Together, we will delve into the enduring legacy of drugs and colors and their relevance in contemporary science and culture.
Contribute to the debateCall for papers is now open!
Preliminary programDay 1: Tuesday, November 11VENUE: Auditorium di Palazzo Branciforte, Palermo - Fondazione Sicilia, ITALY
16.00h – European Symposium Registration
17.00h – Institutional Opening
17. 30h – Master Conference
18. 30h – Welcome Cocktail
Day 2: Wednesday, November 12VENUE: Auditorium di Palazzo Branciforte, Palermo - Fondazione Sicilia, ITALY
Session 1 - Materia medica through the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe: a thousand-year-old mosaic of paths, traditions and voices
Materia medica represents a tangible and intangible cultural heritage whose origins date back to prehistoric times. The history and evolution of humanity cannot be understood without examining the natural sources that have provided materia medica since ancient times, its uses, and how, through this important legacy of ancient origins, peoples and cultures of very diverse origins shared common knowledge and practices. The Cultural Routes certified by the Council of Europe since 1987 offer an exceptional setting for understanding the extent to which materia medica speaks to cultural identity and, in turn, to a shared historical memory that can foster intercultural dialogue, social cohesion, and human development among peoples and societies that connect Europe with other continents.
In this first session of the 3rd European Symposium on Drugs & Colors, we will examine the connection between medicine, color, and culture through various Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, including the Phoenician Route, the Viking Route, Iter Vitis, Historic Gardens and the Fairy Tale Route, among others, such as the promoter of this international meeting: the European Route of Historic Pharmacies and Medicinal Gardens.
9.30h – European Symposium Registration
10.00h – Master Conference
10.45h – Coffee break
11.15h – Communications Session I
13.30h – Lunch
15.00h – Communications Session II
18.00h – Experience I: Traces of modernism in the city of Palermo | Réseau Art Nouveau Network – Cultural Route of the Council of Europe.
Day 3: Thursday, November 13thVENUE: Sala Lanza dell’ Orto Botanico dell'Università degli Studi di Palermo, ITALY
Session 2 - Mapping Hygeia's heritage sites in Europe: ancient pharmacies, medicinal gardens, archaeological excavations, museums and university collections
Historic pharmacies, medicinal gardens, archaeological excavations, museums, and university collections throughout Europe preserve cultural and natural heritage (inside boxes and jars, but also in herbaria) that bears witness to the materia medica as a cultural legacy. The challenges in research, education, conservation, and dissemination of this heritage are common, and standardized protocols are required. Research on the materia medica preserved in ancient jars, for example, requires interdisciplinary teams combining chemists, physicists, historians, archaeologists, art historians, botanists, pharmacists, geologists, and experts in the sciences of heritage conservation and restoration. The educational activities and dissemination of the materia medica, in turn, requires the inclusion of new specialists in areas such as museography, new 3D technologies, artificial intelligence, accessibility and inclusion, and the recreation of sensory experiences.
In this second session of the European Symposium Drugs & Colors, specialists and curators from various historic pharmacies, museums, medicinal gardens, university collections, and archaeological excavations will present current projects on these and related topics. The outcome of the session should lead to a “Decalogue of Good Practices” in the study, education, conservation and dissemination of this european heritage.
9.30h – European Symposium Registration
10.00h – Master Conference
10.45h – Coffee break
11.15h – Communications Session III
13.30h – Lunch
15.00h – Communications Session IV
18.00h – Experience II: SPICES: European tales of ancient medicinal and culinary legacies – Documentary and exhibition – supported by the Council of Europe and the European Union within the framework of the European Heritage Days | The European Route of Historic Pharmacies and Medicinal Gardens – Cultural Rute of the Council of Europe.
Day 4: Friday, November 14thVENUE: Sala Lanza dell’ Orto Botanico dell'Università degli Studi di Palermo, ITALY
Session 3 - Materia medica in the arts and ritual: colors, spices, fragrances, and living practices
Many of the substances that have been used medicinally since Prehistory have also played a significant role in cooking and ritual. Bay, for example, was used since ancient times in food and medicine, and was also the “sacred divination plant of Apollo” among the ancient Greeks and Romans, which explains why it was through bay that the gift of prophecy was made possible at the Oracle of Delphi, their main temple in antiquity. Examples of this can be found throughout European culture, and ethnographic research still documents its survival. Likewise, there are many substances that have had a parallel path in medicine and the arts. In very ancient Egyptian medical papyri, lapis lazuli was prescribed to treat eye diseases, and, in turn, the most expensive blue pigment was extracted from it for centuries. Arsenic trisulfide, known as orpiment, was one of the ingredients in 15th-century Venetian theriac, and linseed oil, in addition to being a paint binder, had wide-ranging applications in medicine and food.
This session explores this close connection between medicine, cuisine, and ritual through the materia medica, as well as the important role women played in transmitting this knowledge from generation to generation to the present day.
9.30h – European Symposium Registration
10.00h – Master Conference
10.45h – Coffee break
11.15h – Communications Session V
13.30h – Lunch
15.00h – Communications Session VI
18.00h – Experience III: Traditional flavors and fragrances that heal: the culinary art of Sicily | Trattoria La Cambusa – Piazza Marina 16, Palermo.
Honor Committee
Ester ALBA PAGÁN
Vice-Rector for Culture and Society, Universitat de València, SPAIN
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Maria Concetta DI NATALE
President of Fondazione Sicilia, ITALY
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Massimo MIDIRI
Rector of the Università degli Studi di Palermo, ITALY
Scientific Committee
Llorenç ALAPONT
Archaeology of Death in Pompeii” Project, Pompeii Archaeological Park, ITALY
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Paola ARTONI
Museo d’Arte Moderna dell’Alto Mantovano, ITALY
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Giorgia Maria ANNOSCIA
Sapienza Università di Roma, ITALY
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Antonio BARONE
International Association La Rotta dei Fenici, ITALY
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María Luisa BELLIDO GANT
Universidad de Granada, SPAIN
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Varga BENEDEK
Semmelweis Museum, Library and Archive of the History of Medicine, HUNGARY
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Nuria BLAYA ESTRADA
Florida Universitaria, SPAIN
Strada Experiencias Culturales, SPAIN
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Tarik CATIC
Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
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Lucian CUIBUS
Academia Româna, RUMANIA
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Nicolas FABRE
Mairie de Canet-en-Roussillon, FRANCE
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Ana-Maria GRUIA
Pharmacy Museum of Cluj-Napoca, ROMANIA
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François LEDERMANN
University of Bern, SWITZERLAND
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Luís Rafael MENDEZ RODRÍGUEZ
Universidad de Sevilla, SPAIN
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Catarina MIGUEL
Universidade Évora, PORTUGAL
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João NETO
Museu da Farmácia, PORTUGAL
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Svetlana NIKOLOVA
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, BULGARIA
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Ana-Maria PĂPUREANU
Pharmacy Museum of Sibiu, ROMANIA
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Franco PALLA
Università degli Studi di Palermo, ITALY
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LUCA PESANTE
Musei Vaticani, VATICAN CITY
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Łukasz PIGOŃSKI
Museum of Pharmacy in Łódź, POLAND
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Marin PINTUR
JGL Pharmacy Museum, CROATIA
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Ona RAGAŽINSKIENĖ
Vytautas Magnus University, LITHUANIA
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Miguel REQUENA
Universitat de València, SPAIN
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Zenona SIMAITIENE
Museum of the History of Lithuanian Medicine and Pharmacy, LITHUANIA
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Marisa VÁZQUEZ DE ÁGREDOS PASCUAL
Universitat de València, SPAIN
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Maurizio VITELLA
Università degli Studi di Palermo, ITALY
Organizing Committee
Cristina EXPÓSITO DE VICENTE
Simona TARDI
Universitat de València, SPAIN
Aromas Itinerarium Salutis Association, SPAIN
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Joan ALBA CASTRO
Iván DE LA BARRERA MARZAL
Neus IBORRA MONTON
Jorge MARTÍNEZ SALES
Sergio SANCHIS PÉREZ
Marc VIDAL MARTÍNEZ
Universitat de València, SPAIN
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Belén CUENCA ABELLÁN
Dunya Hanya Patrimonio, SPAIN
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Gabriela SERRANO JIMÉNEZ
Universidad Complutense de Madrid, SPAIN
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Giulia CATI
Sapienza Università di Roma, ITALY
Participation informationJoin us!
Registration for the event is mandatory.
The registration window will be open from October 1 to November 6, 2025.
In-presence participation
Authors: €75
Co-authors: €50
Attendees: €40
Fee exceptions: Members of the scientific committee and organizing committee; Professors and students of the Università degli Studi di Palermo; Members of the Aromas Itinerarium Salutis Association and others European Cultural Routes.
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