Who hasn't taken advantage of it, there's still time. 2018 is the European Year of Cultural Heritage: a whole year to discover our cultural heritage, in all its tangible, intangible and digital manifestations, as an expression of European cultural diversity and a central element of intercultural dialogue. An artistic globalization within Europe, which can concretely connect nations and allow rulers to go beyond economic and political disputes and understand that the common roots from which the old continent has developed are stronger.
Heritage tells stories, is constantly reinterpreted and is constantly evolving, following the natural progression of society.
On the official page of europe.eu We read that the objective of the European Year of Cultural Heritage is to encourage as many people as possible to discover and get involved in Europe's cultural heritage and to strengthen the sense of belonging to a common European area. The motto of the year is: “Our heritage: where the past meets the future”.
The Year will see a series of initiatives and events taking place throughout Europe to allow citizens to get closer to and learn more about their cultural heritage, even in the most remote places on the continent. Luck is breathing art and artistic heritage everywhere and hearing passages of history within the cities and villages of Europe, when we are immersed in natural landscapes or in archaeological sites. Cultural heritage is not only museums, archaeological sites, monuments, it is literature, painting, crafts, it is any aspect of the culture of the European people towards which to promote a spirit of familiarity and belonging. It is a sense of continuity in history, knowing the foundations that come from the past to build more levels in the future.
On Europa.eu we still read that cultural heritage comes in various forms:
• tangible – eg buildings, monuments, artefacts, clothing, works of art, books, cars, historical cities, archaeological sites
• intangible – practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills, and related tools, objects and cultural spaces, to which people attribute value. This includes language and oral traditions, performing arts, social practices and traditional crafts
• natural – landscapes, flora and fauna
• digital – resources that have been created in digital form (eg digital artwork and animation) or that have been digitized in a way that ensures their preservation (text, images, video, recordings).
It is nice to see that in Europe there is a common sentiment that goes beyond feeling like European citizens in Brussels, where it is easy to breathe the sharing and common vision of the United States of Europe: in fact, for 2018 each participating member state has appointed a coordinator national to kick off the year and coordinate events and projects at local, regional and national level.
All the institutions of the European Union are committed to making the event a success. The European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, as well as the European Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee will organize events to celebrate the year and kick off activities focusing on cultural heritage.
In addition, the EU will fund projects in support of cultural heritage: a dedicated call for cooperation projects for the year has been published under the Creative Europe programme. Numerous other opportunities will be available under the EU programs Erasmus+, Europe for Citizens, Horizon 2020 and others.
To ensure that this initiative does not have a future, the Commission, in cooperation with the Council of Europe, UNESCO and other partners, has decided to run ten long-term projects which will include activities with schools, research on innovative solutions to reuse buildings belonging to cultural heritage or to counter the illicit trafficking of cultural goods. The aim is to stimulate real change in the way we enjoy, protect and promote cultural heritage, ensuring that the European Year creates benefits and awareness for citizens over time.
THE ITALIAN AGENDA
The Italian diary is full of activities: guided tours, workshops, educational activities, conferences and presentations. According to Mibact and Europa.eu sources, 922 events have been organized in Italy as part of the event out of a total of 10.150 events that will take place over the course of the 365 days dedicated to European cultural heritage. The total number of participating countries is 28, while 1.120.000 are the estimated participants.
WHICH COUNTRY TO CHOOSE AND WHAT TO SEE
Not all summer holidays are spent on the beach, even European capitals are popular. To the link it is possible to find all the information for each of the 28 European states adhering to the initiative and to choose the preferred destination and which European area to visit.
