L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015 www.italoamericano.org 6 I taly has the largest number of U N ES CO World H eritage sites - 51 - but that number doesn't even begin to quantify the immense (too immense to handle?) heritage of a country that, even in its most remote places, boasts some kind of his- torical or artistic treasure. The issue of how to safeguard Italy's - at times crumbling - sites is hotly debated; years of govern- ment's mismanagement and neg- ligence and a chronic scarcity of public funds haven't helped pre- serve and enhance them. Luckily, where the state is lacking, there are organizations that work to fill that void. One s uch organization is F A I – Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano, the non-profit that, for the last 40 years, has worked to preserve Italy's precious heritage through the acquisition and restoration of properties of historical, artistic and environmental significance, making them available to the public. FAI operates under the assumption that Italy's magnifi- cent heritage belongs to each of us, and each of us should be able to enjoy it. Italophiles in the U.S. inter- ested in supporting the work of FAI can turn to Friends of FAI, a New York-based non-profit that works to support FAI's efforts to protect and preserve Italy's trea- sures for future generations. Friends of FAI aims to spread awareness of Italy's cultural her- itage in the U.S. through a num- ber of cultural and educational events for its members, including lectures and private tours of Italy-themed exhibitions . In addition, Friends of FAI supports a different restoration project in Italy every year and has con- tributed more than 1.5 million dollars to these projects in the last five years alone. To learn more about the work of FAI, L'Italo-Americano has interviewed Bona Frescobaldi, International Chairwoman for Friends of FAI. Let's begin with the issue of safeguarding Italy's heritage. A rticle 9 of th e I talian C on s titu tion s tates : "Th e Italian Republic promotes the development of culture and of s cien tific an d tech n ical research. It protects the land- scape and the historical and artistic heritage of the nation;" h ow ever, it s eems th ere is alw ays a la ck of p u b lic resources to protect Italy's mon u men ts . A few mon th s ago, C N N .com ran a s tory titled "Does Italy care enough about its crumbling artistic treasures?" I turn this ques- tion over to you. A rticle 9 of the Italian Cons titution s tates tw o very SILVIA DONATI important things. The first point is that it is not just the State that is called upon to promote and protect Italy's cultural patrimo- ny, but also the Republic, which is the aggregate of the State, its citizens, companies and free associations. Therefore the pub- lic and private spheres are both asked to participate, since they are both held responsible and have been entrusted with certain rights and duties. This mandate should serve to resolve, once and for all, the unproductive opposition between the public and the private. Collaboration between the two spheres is in fact the key to developing this strategic sector of Italy. The second point to note is that Article 9 mentions the word "promotion" even before "pro- tection." Without promotion, communication and enhance- ment, we cannot hope to broad- en the audience that benefits from Italy's cultural heritage sites, an audience that has unfor- tunately become accustomed to encountering mus eums and monuments in Italy that are often closed, or that are difficult to understand, appreciate or enjoy. If we encourage Italy's citizens to become more engaged in cultural experiences, they will be the first in line to defend their heritage, and they will demand that the State play its part. Because you can only love what you know, and once you love something, you will protect it. FAI is hosting a photo exhi- bition at the recently restored N egozio Olivetti in V en ice about "Venezia e le Grandi Navi" to document the "visual pollution" (to quote the pho- tographer who shot the photos on display) caused by the giant cru is e s h ip s en terin g th e Venice lagoon. What is the position of FAI toward this issue and what do you hope to achieve through this exhibi- tion? FAI holds that the "Giant Ships" are not Venice's only problem. Instead they represent the tip of the iceberg - and the most visible example given their immense size – of a much larger problem plaguing this fragile city. For years, Venice has been inundated with an ever-increas- ing flow of touris m that has become unsustainable. Though on the one hand this tourism con- stitutes a vital economic resource for Venice, on the other, it has clearly compromised the integri- ty and identity of the city. The exhibition at Negozio Olivetti has given FAI the oppor- tunity to initiate a debate on the topic of exces s ive touris m, which could potentially be of interest to other major Italian cities s uch as F lorence and Rome, and sites including the Colos s eum and P ompeii. It opens the door for dialogue, and encourages contributions from authorities, both Italian and for- eign, who can propose ideas and models for the management and s us tainable development of Venice. What is the latest property FAI restored and why was it important to restore it? In March 2014, FAI inaugu- rated Casa Noha in Matera, a site which offers visitors the opportu- nity to discover the city through an innovative multimedia itiner- ary that was created in collabora- tion with Fondazione Telecom Italia. Visitors who enter Casa Noha are drawn into the thou- s and-year old his tory of the Sassi, with the help of videos that are projected onto the walls of the various rooms. This project is extremely important to the Foundation, because it marks the first time that FAI has been able to present the historic and cultural context of a site through the site itself. Casa Noha has become a model for the integration of FAI's prop- erties with their surroundings. It is also part of a broader chal- lenge: how to represent the local community and support con- scious tourism within this fragile and unique city. As FAI celebrates the 40th anniversary of its founding this year, what are its plans and goals for the future? FAI has developed a ten-year strategic plan that lays out new objectives to be achieved by 2023. Among these, to acquire, rescue and open new properties throughout all of Italy's regions; to increase membership and give a greater voice to the defense of Italian heritage, to increas e Italians' awareness of their her- itage, to open the minds of new generations, and to promote new cultural opportunities. It is FAI's goal to have 250,000 members, 50,000 volunteers and to wel- come 1.5 million visitors to its properties annually. T o lear n m or e, vis it www.friendsoffai.org. Abbey of Santa Maria di Cerrate (Lecce), one of the most significant examples of Romanesque architecture in Puglia; the property is currently under restoration, and open to the public on limited days/hours. Photo credit: Francesco Franciosi © FAI - Fondo Ambiente Italiano F r i e n d s o f FA I : S p r e a d i n g Awa r e n e s s o f Italy's Cultural Heritage in the U.S. NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Bona Frescobaldi

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