IPHR Inaugurates Casa VITALI in Sambuca di Sicilia – A Space for Art, Human Rights, and Peace

We are delighted to announce the inauguration of Casa VITALI, a unique space for artistic creation, human rights, and peace, established by International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) in the village of Sambuca di Sicilia, Italy.

Our Director, Brigitte Dufour, named the house — acquired as part of the 1 Euro house initiative — in honour of our young Georgian colleague, Vitali Safarov, whose life was tragically and senselessly cut short at the age of 25, when he was stabbed to death in 2018. Vitali dedicated his life to promoting tolerance, and we are proud to carry his mission forward through this initiative.

After a renovation process that brought its share of both stress and joy, we were thrilled to celebrate the official opening of Casa VITALI on 16 May 2025, together with Vitali’s mother, Marina, his younger sister, Lika, and the wonderful people of Sambuca, who once again welcomed us with warmth and generosity.

We were honoured by the presence of Sambuca di Sicilia’s Mayor, Giuseppe Caccioppo, and deeply moved as the Bande Musicale Gian Matteo Rinaldo led us through the town’s picturesque streets to Casa VITALI. It was a moment filled with emotion, remembrance, and hope — and we felt that Vitali was with us in spirit.

Please find below photos from the opening.

***

The event also received extensive media coverage in Italy. This is a list of articles:

https://www.ilmediterraneo24.it/cronaca/province/nasce-casa-vitali-a-sambuca-arte-e-diritti-umani-in-abitazione-a-1-euro/
 
https://m.guidasicilia.it/notizia/a-sambuca-di-sicilia-si-inaugura-casa-vitali-arte-pace-e-diritti-umani/3026324
 
https://www.grandangoloagrigento.it/cultura/un-luogo-per-la-difesa-dei-diritti-umani-a-sambuca-nasce-casa-vitali
 
https://www.agrigentonotizie.it/cronaca/case-a-un-euro-sambuca-sicilia-iphr.html
 
https://www.siciliaunonews.com/2025/05/sambuca-inaugurazione-di-casa-vitali-la.html?m=1
 
https://loftcultura.it/2025/05/14/varie/sambuca-di-sicilia-inaugurazione-di-casa-vitali-la-prima-sede-in-italia-di-una-organizzazione-internazionale-per-i-diritti-umani-acquistata-grazie-al-bando-a-1-euro/
 
https://www.malgradotuttoweb.it/home/2025/05/14/arte-pace-e-diritti-umani-a-sambuca-di-sicilia-linaugurazione-di-casa-vitali/
 
https://www.risoluto.it/sambuca/casa-vitali-sambuca-centro-per-diritti-umani/
 
https://agrigento.gds.it/articoli/societa/2025/05/14/nasce-a-sambuca-di-sicilia-la-prima-sede-italiana-della-iphr-dbeed781-13c0-4724-b0c3-56ccde169415/
 
https://www.ilmoderatore.it/diritti-umani-e-memoria-iphr-apre-a-sambuca-casa-vitali-rifugio-per-attivisti-e-artisti/
 
https://www.nuovosud.it/articoli/276492-cronaca-agrigento/sambuca-di-sicilianasce-casa-vitali-la-difesa-dei-diritti-umani
 
https://www.ansa.it/sicilia/notizie/2025/05/14/nasce-casa-vitali-per-la-difesa-dei-diritti-umani_3241e18f-4536-4d92-8292-165e80de40c4.html