L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano MANUELA CARACCIOLO I t's easy to understand why, every year, there's so much interest around UNESCO's selection of new World Heritage entries - and the associated possi- bility to withdraw the honor from any of those already on the list. It means finding and celebrating locations of quintessential beau- ty, praising the masterpieces of Man's mind and creativity, exceptional vestiges of long-gone civilizations. The relevant UNESCO com- mission has recently gathered in Krakow to define this year's new entries' list and its selection hasn't failed to surprise, bringing to the fore lesser known artistic, natural and cultural realities in need of recognition. With its last two entries, the Venetian works of defense and the ancient and primeval beech forests, Italy confirms its UNESCO Heritage Sites' leader- ship, with a total of 53 recog- nized entries. With 52 entries, China, highly motivated and financially strong, is the sole real competitor potentially able to steal from Italy this historical record. The Venetian works of defense are , in fact, a transna- tional entry, whose candidature was presented by Italy, Croatia and Montenegro in 2016. The site is an extraordinary collection of the most representative defense systems put into place by the Republic of Venice after the invention of gun powder, both on land and on the sea. The UNESCO committee included in the entry the defense works of Bergamo, Palmanova (Udine) and Peschiera del Garda (Verona) in Italy, Zadar and Sibenik in Croatia and Kotor in Montenegro. The last three loca- tions are all in Dalmatia, a region tied to the Venetian Republic for centuries. The candidature was successful thanks to the long and meticulous work of a team coor- dinated by Mibact and composed by highly qualified experts, national and local institutions, including those of the towns involved, and Mibact's own peripheral offices. Thanks to Bergamo's pres- ence, Lombardia gains another UNESCO site and confirms to be the region of Italy with the high- est number of them. The Venetian Works of Defense The entry counts six fortified components located, as men- tioned above, in Italy, Croatia and Montenegro and forming a 1000 km defense system that develops from Lombardia to the eastern coast of the Adriatic sea. Many are the elements of value: from the colossal excavation works for the creation of under- ground routes to the realization of artefacts representatives of new technologies developed in the Republic between the 16th and 17th century. The Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests The ten beech forests part of the entry develop over an area of more than 2000 hectares between the regions of Tuscany and Calabria, and are one of the largest portions of an extended, international site encompassing beech forests in 12 countries, including Austria, Belgium, Slovenia, Spain, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine. The almost complete totality of Italy's beech forests is located within natural parks and reserves; among them those of the Appennino Tosco-Romagnolo of the Riserva di Sasso Frattino, within the Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona e Campigna. In Lazio, two ancient beech forests, that of Monte Cimino and that of Monte Raschio, are part of the Parco Naturale di Bracciano- Martignano, in the Viterbo province. The UNESCO List The new, updated list sees, as said, Italy on the top, with 53 rec- ognized sites, followed by China with 52. Spain reaches the third position with 46, whereas France's 42 and Germany's 41 gain them respectively the 4th and 5th place. India and Mexico follow, both with more than 30 entries (36 and 34). The US counts 23 UNESCO Heritage sites, just three more than Japan and Brasil. Just below is Greece, with 18 locations recognized. All in all, UNESCO's list includes 1072 sites, distributed over 167 countries. Sites can be cultural (831), natural (206), mixed (35), transnational (37), endangered (55). Two sites have been with- drawn in recent years: the Valley of the Elbe river in Dresden (Germany) and the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary, in Oman, respectively in 2009 and 2007. Next year, Italy will present two more candidatures, that of Ivrea, industrial city of the 20th century, and that of the Hills of Prosecco. However, things are going to change in 2019, when each country will be allowed to submit only one candidature and no more than 35 total entries will be accepted every year. In case of higher numbers of proposals Italy, as the country with most sites, would be penalized: its can- didatures would be examined last. The relevant UNESCO com- mittee doesn't only have to deal with yearly new entries, but also with a rather conspicuous back- log. Among the sites awaiting acceptance, 40 are in Italy. To them, we should add all 2016 entries submitted after the month of March, which are still await- ing official examination. UNESCO's waiting list is long: la Maddalena and the phe- nomenon of bradyseism in the Campi Flegrei, in the north west- ern area of Naples, are among those held on the line since 2006. The latter is a particularly inter- esting phenomenon of volcanic origin, consisting in the regular rising and lowering of the soil's level; the Campi Flegrei's caldera extends almost entirely under water, with about 60% of it developing in the Golfo di Pozzuoli. Another curious Italian candidature is that of the paths of "transumanza" in Abruzzo, Molise, Umbria, Basilicata, Campania and Puglia, an itinerary of about 3100 km. Well known is also the candida- ture of the Valdobbiene, famous area of DOCG prosecco, one of Italy's most exported – and imi- tated- wines. Last, but not certainly least, is the Art of Neapolitan Pizzaiuoli, candidature proposed last year for the UNESCO Intangible Patrimony, on which the World UNESCO Committee will take a final decision in December 2017. Whether it's landscapes, food or wine, it seems clear Italy has a penchant for winning. The thousand and more faces of UNESCO's Italy: new, old and potential entries Ivrea is a town of the Metropolitan City of Turin (Piedmont). Situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley, it straddles the Dora Baltea and is regarded as the centre of the Canavese area The Art of Neapolitan Pizzaiuoli, candidature proposed last year for the UNESCO Intangible Patrimony The Campi Flegrei's caldera extends almost entirely under water, with about 60% of it developing in the Golfo di Pozzuoli NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS

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