The Director General of the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki,  Dr Anastasia Gadolou, gave a talk during  the European Wine Day. This prestigious event took place on October 27, 2023 in Toulouse, in celebration of the rich historical and cultural significance of wine as “the soul of Europe”. As the representative of the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, the first Museum of Greece to have joined the Cultural Route of the Council of Europe, ITER VITIS, Anastasia Gadolou delivered a captivating paper that explored the value of vine and wine drinking in the ancient Mediterranean, commented on the cultural value of wine and its symbolic value for European culture in general, concluding in the following: “Wine represented, a cultural koine. Wine’s demand, production, consumption and circulation, was subjected in certain social mechanisms and was carried out with a purpose. The purpose of  drinking during feasting celebrating life and death.”

Furthermore, Dr Gadolou actively participated in the General Assembly of the ITER VITIS members, held on October 28, 2023 in Fronton, contributing her expertise to discussions aimed at furthering the mission of this cultural route. ITER VITIS, with its focus on the vine, wine, and cultural landscapes, is a vital platform for the exchange of knowledge and collaboration among institutions dedicated to preserving the heritage of wine. During the assembly, the collaboration of the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki with the “Musée Gallo-Romain de Saint-Romain en Gal” (Represented by Archaeologist Dr Christophe Caillaud) and Saint Joseph University of Lebanon (Represented by Professor Yolla Ghorra Chamoun) was secured. The three ITER VITIS members will collaborate towards the organization of a worldwide symposium dedicated to the archaeology of vine and wine culture, wine making, circulation and wine consumption. The symposium will be held at the Thessaloniki Museum in autumn 2024.