22841 - Civilizational heritage and Italy’s example

N. Lygeros
Translated from the Greek by Athena Kehagias

The issue regarding the need of protection of the civilizational heritage is obvious, but who really is concerned about it ?
We need to witness acts of barbarism in order to comprehend the value of civilization?
Because we reside within civilization itself, we assume that it is quite normal.
The problem is. that habituality kills thinking, and there must be the awareness of danger, in order for us to result to the necessary acts of protection.
Because without protection and with the daily usage of the environment, there is deterioration.
Monuments which already belong to the heritage of humanity, deteriorate due to the oblivion of societies, which are not concerned about eternal values.
Consequently we understand why Italy’s example is as impressive, with their decision taken, for 300 million euro to be allocated in order for the foundations of Venice to be protected, and likewise, the medieval walls of Siena and the golden palace of the Emperor Nero.
This should be set as an example for every country of civilization.
But each one of them should comprehend, that they are not just a country alone, but also a piece of Humanity.
Because these monuments do not only obtain a national range.
In actual fact we should feel responsible for this heritage and not to merely view it as simply, our property.
As, without the aknowledgement of their value, we are slowly losing them, through not protecting them.
Italy has actively indicated that it gives importance to the institution of World Heritage, having already 49 monuments listed, but it now also points out to the path towards their protection.
In Greece we have only 17 such monuments accounted for at present, so let’s just follow Italy’s example.

Italy – World Heritage monuments.

Rock drawings and carvings in Valcamonica (1979)
Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie with “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci (1980)
Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See at the Vatican and the church of San Paolo Fuori le Mura (St. Paul outside the walls) (1980, 1990)
Historic Centre of Florence (1982)
Piazza del Duomo, Pisa (1987)
Venice and its Lagoon (1987)
Historic San Tsiminiano centre (1990)
The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera (1993)
City of Vicenza and the villas of Palladio in Veneto (1994, 1996)
Crespo d’Adda (1995)
Ferrara, City of the Renaissance and the Po Delta (1995, 1999)
Historic Centre of Naples (1995)
Historic center of Siena (1995)
Castel del Monte (1996)
Early Christian monuments of Ravenna (1996)
Historical center of the Pienza city(1996)
The Trulli of Alberobello (1996)
The 18th century Caserta Royal palace with the Park, the Aqueduct of Vanviteli and the San Leucio Complex (1997)
The Agrigento archaeological Site (1997)
Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata (1997) Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico), Padua (1997)
The Cathedral of Modena, Torre Chiva and Piazza Grande, Modena (1997)
Amalfi Coast (1997)
Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto)(1997)
The Residences of the Royal House of Savoy (1997)
Su Nuraxi, at Baroumini (Sardinia) (1997)
Roman villa of Casale (1997)
The archaeological site and the Patriarchal Basilica of Akouleia (1998)
Silento and the Valo di Diano National Park with the Posidonia’s (Paestum) archaeological sites,Velia, and Sertoza di Pantoulas (1998)
Historic Centre of Urbino (1998)
Hadrian’s Villa (Tivoli) (1999)
Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and Other Franciscan Sites (2000)
City of Verona (2000)
Aeolian Islands (2000)
Villa d’Este, Tivoli (2001)
Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto (South-Eastern Sicily) (2002)
Sacred Mountains of Piedmont and Lombardy (2003)
Etruscan necropolises of Serveteri and Tarquinia (2004)
Val d’Orcia (2004)
Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica (2005)
Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli (2006)
Mantua and Sampioneta (2008)
Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes (2008)
The Dolomites (2009)
Longobards in Italy. Places of the Power (568-774 A.D.) (2011)
Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps) – (2011)
Mount Etna (2013)
Medici Villas and Gardens in Tuscany (2013)
Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato (2014)
Arab-Byzantine Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale (2015)