(ANSA) - GROTTAMMARE, FEB 24 - "Timeless adriatic": Grottammare and Rovinj-Rovigno united under the sign of historical clocks. The cross-border cooperation project "Timeless Adriatic," funded by the Interreg Italy-Croatia 2021-2027 program and active until June 2027, was presented yesterday in the Council Chamber of the Municipality of Grottammare, a town in the Marche region in the province of Ascoli Piceno. Lead partner is the Municipality of Grottammare, with the Municipality of Rovinj-Rovigno (Croatia) and the Europelago Foundation as partners. Opening the conference was Mayor Alessandro Rocchi, who emphasized the value of collaboration between institutions and territories overlooking the same sea: an opportunity to strengthen ties, face new challenges and build lasting relationships, with the hope of reaching a twinning between Grottammare and Rovinj. The project aims to enhance historical tower clocks as a shared heritage of the Adriatic area, putting the new generations at the center. Raffaella Lioce, from the Europelago Foundation, highlighted the importance of involving young people with creative and collaborative methods that can bring innovative energy and visions. Project manager Nicholas Murdica outlined the five planned actions: the creation of an inventory of tower clocks in the Italy-Croatia area and an interactive digital map; a competition for high school students; the selection of the best proposals by a technical-scientific committee and their implementation in creative hubs; two public festivals in Rovinj and Grottammare to present the projects; and finally, the start of the path to UNESCO candidacy. Also at the center are citizenship and an idea of sustainable and participatory tourism, capable of respecting the identity of the territories. After the inaugural conference, the project now enters the operational phase with the first technical meeting between the partners. (ANSA).