During the 37th UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held from 16 to 27 June 2013 in Phnom Penh, the inclusion of the "Medici villas and gardens in Tuscany" in the World Heritage list was approved. It was an important success for Italian culture, obtained thanks to the collaboration between the Tuscany Region, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, the Municipalities and Provinces where the 14 sites are located (12 villas and 2 gardens), and the private owners of some villas.
These precious gems of the Tuscan territory, now protected by UNESCO, invite you to take part in a collective narrative: they are unique and distinguishable chapters of a single great discourse. The history of each villa is intimately linked to that of another; these islands of culture and prestige, above all territorial, emerge from the river of history, as if from an 'terrestrial archipelago'.
The Medici villas and gardens included, since 2013, in the UNESCO World Heritage List are the subject of the homonymous volume edited by Luigi Zanghieri: precious gems of the Tuscan territory, now protected, they invite you to take part in a collective narrative: they are unique and distinguishable chapters of one great discourse. Each villa is linked to another; from the river of history, these islands of culture and prestige, above all territorial, emerge as if from an «terrestrial archipelago».
