The event took place in the small town of Acquaviva Collecroce, or Kruč in Croatian, and featured a programme of culture, poetry, folk dances and enogastronomy.
Molizaiko 7 was opened by the State Secretary of the Central State Office for Croats Abroad, Zvonko Milas, who said that the cultural heritage presented today is "the wealth of beauty and diversity that we inherited from our ancestors and that we will leave to our descendants."
"It gives us a sense of identity and continuity, it defines us by what we are, makes us who we are. I thank everyone involved in this high-value project, which shows love for the citizens of Italy of Croatian origin and which provides them with support. The Central State Office will always stand by them," Milas said.
The participants were also greeted by Croatia's Deputy Ambassador to Rome, Iva Pavić, saying that the Croatian language minority in Molise represents one of the most special minorities in the world.
"Even though it is one of the smallest, if we look at the numbers, it has successfully preserved the Croatian language, tradition, identity and culture for more than five centuries," she stressed.
The meeting was attended by the Điran Association from the Croatian island of Ugljan, the Croatian Cultural Association from Berlin, the Cultural Art Society from Sesvete and the hosts, Molise Folk.
The meeting was organised by the associations Jedna Musika from Kruč and Mosaico Italo Croato from Rome, with the support of the Croatian Heritage Foundation.