In May 2014, the ICBIE inaugurated a new piece of its “cultural building”: the project “ME.PE. – MEmórias da PEnínsula” (Memories of the Peninsula), an exhibition space and a large laboratory that opens the narration about the history of the Itapagipe Peninsula, in the lower city of Salvador.

ME.PE, Memories of the Itapagipe Peninsula Exhibition, aims to be a space of reference and preservation of a collection of memories of this region of the Lower City, marked by a remarkable socio-cultural diversity. 

This collection, made up of photographic and videographic records, objects, audio testimonies, songs, among others, will be under constant development, and despite being based on the personal research of the ICBIE’s artistic director, Pietro Gallina, it will be assembled collaboratively as part of a strategy to sensitize and encourage the participation of the residents in the construction of this project, giving them the possibility of discussing their history through their memories. For this we intend to promote, besides the permanent exhibition, a series of cultural activities to intensify this interaction.

“I believe that curating this collection is very important for our community, because its versatility allows it to be used by various audiences, from researchers to tourists interested in a deeper and more qualitative experience of our culture” says Pietro who is curator of ME.PE and also resident in Ribeira since 2003, when he founded the ICBIE – Institute of Culture Brazil Italy Europe.

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ITAPAGIPE, A PEARL IN THE BAY OF TODOS OS SANTOS

The historical and artistic richness of Itapagipe is immense. A place of ships, of religiosity, fishing, handicrafts, productive industries, popular festivals, soccer, and rowing clubs. 

We highlight some famous churches like the churches of Bonfim and Boa Viagem, architectural monuments like the ex factory Fratelli Vita, Abrigo Dom Pedro II, Solar Amado Bahia, and Palacete Machado, which are true works of art.  

Besides, we have many important events that happened in the Peninsula: 

• In 1903 the father of aviation, Santos Dumont, participated in one of the first regattas in Ribeira starting this way the glorious history of the rowing Clubs.
• From 1922 to 1931, in the first aerial crossings of the South Atlantic, the pilots: Gago Coutinho – Portuguese, João Ribeiro de Barros – Brazilian and Italo Balbo – Italian this last one with a squadron of 11 airplanes, landed in the hydroport of the Ribeira.  
• In 1939 Getúlio Vargas visited the first oil well in Brazil at Joanes-Lobato. 
• In 1980 Pope John Paul II inaugurated the Alagados church and visited Irmã Dulce.
• From the 1950s until 1964 the ICBIE mansion was the headquarters of the E. C. Bahia soccer team. 

For all these reasons:

The goal of ME.PE. is to become a place that stimulates the knowledge of one’s own territory, aimed at the local community so that they love their own land and that they are aware of what the Peninsula is and in this way they can be involved in defense, improvement, respect, participating in cultural and sports activities.

So the Itapagipe Peninsula is extremely full of cultural and historical information that is almost impossible to summarize in a small page.