Italian heritage organization FAI has launched the operation named “I Luoghi del Cuore”, in which people are asked to say which monuments they would like to see restored and preserved. This is run every year, but this year, it has been given an international dimension. To quote an article published in National Geographic Magazine in 1995, “… Italy stands as a cornerstone of Western history. Julius Caesar, Charlemagne and Napoleon ruled here. In Italy, Michelangelo and Leonardo created, Verdi composed and St. Francis of Assisi prayed… today, Italy still cherishes the sweet life, while revelling in a past so storied that 18th century British statesman Edmund Burke called it a ‘native land for us all’.”
Today you can vote for the place in Italy you treasure most. All the information you need to learn more and cast your vote can be found online at www.iluoghidelcuore.it
In previous years, the operation has proved to be highly successful. Just the fact that up to half a million people have voted for monuments to be saved is a powerful incentive for getting public institutions to do something about the deterioration of so much of Italy’s heritage. In addition, this sort of widespread public approval facilitates the restoration of top-voted sites. Many locations identified and voted en masse have already been protected, such as the Baresi Mill near Bergamo, a church near Imperia, and the paths leading up to the village of Walser. After the 2012 edition, FAI announced eleven new restoration projects based on the census results. Work is in progress on all these.
So, today, you can contribute to preserving the remarkable Italian heritage. Sign up and vote!
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