by Nina Vaclavikova
The opening of the fifth edition of the Barcolana Sea Summit was marked by a symbolic connection between maritime sustainability and global education. The event began in conjunction with the inauguration of the academic year at the United World College of the Adriatic (UWC Adriatic), a partnership regional officials described as both coherent and meaningful.
“It’s a choice of coherence,” said Alessia Rosolen, Regional Councillor for Education, University, Research and Training, as she opened the summit alongside Fabio Scoccimarro, Regional Councillor for the Environment, Energy and Sustainable Development. “This year’s theme—balancing education, bioeconomy, and the protection of water, from the oceans to rivers—makes it especially fitting to celebrate the start of the academic year at a college whose mission is to educate future ambassadors of peace and sustainability.”
This year’s summit focuses on the role of education in protecting the oceans and empowering young people to “be part of the solution” to the environmental crisis. The Generali Convention Centre in Trieste hosted both the summit and the official opening of UWC Adriatic’s new academic year, placing education at the heart of the region’s conversation on sustainability.
Since its founding in 1982, UWC Adriatic has welcomed 184 students from 80 countries, 90 percent of whom receive full or partial scholarships. “They become ambassadors who tell the story of this city and this region to the world,” Rosolen said. She emphasized the college’s role as a place of dialogue, even among students from regions in conflict. “These students, through their way of living together, erase wars—at least on our territory,” she said. “Cultural boycotts, academic boycotts, even sporting or scientific boycotts, represent the triumph of foolishness. Education remains the most powerful weapon—the only one that can change the world.”
Rosolen also noted that the Barcolana, one of the world’s largest sailing events, is showcasing a replica of the Triestebathyscaphe—an iconic vessel in the history of deep-sea exploration. “The underwater environment,” she said, “will be one of the most promising frontiers for development, knowledge, and innovation in the coming years. Future generations will face a list of urgent and open questions, and education must prepare them to meet those challenges.”
The Barcolana Sea Summit, held annually as part of Trieste’s celebrated sailing week, continues to position the city as a meeting point for science, sustainability, and global cooperation.
