Water, Beauty, Progress It is everywhere, impossible not to notice it, not to hear it. Water is certainly the most present element in the landscape of Tivoli. Waterfalls and fountains cannot be counted by exploring this ancient town around 30 km outside Rome. Inhabitants have wisely exploited its abundant water for centuries as a source...
Category: personal heritage stories
San Petronio: a church against the Church
Every day I take a walk through the center of my home city, Bologna, and pass in front of our big basilica, San Petronio. It proudly dominates the iconic main square, Piazza Maggiore. However, San Petronio looks a bit strange. Its facade is divided in two parts: the lower half covered with marble, the upper half...
A Night Walk in Leipzig
Heritage Times was launched one year ago, during the 2016 edition of “Denkmal”, the largest European fair for monument restoration. It was also the occasion, for me as an enthusiast about Germany, to see for the first time Leipzig, one of the most engaging cities of the country.Since I had to stay at the fair...
Rieth, Erfurt and the heritage of Plattenbauten
Rieth is a northern neighborhood of Erfurt built between 1971 and 1978, the second in the Thuringian city following the Plattenbauten scheme. This German word hints at how the buildings are made, i.e. with prefabricated concrete slabs. Clearly this method was not exclusive to East Germany, but immediately became a widely known reference to the public...
Fogliano: a lake on the sea
Fogliano is a unique lake divided only by a narrow sand stripe from the Tyrrenian Sea. A witness of the now lost Pontine Marshes.
Memories from the Berlin Summit, June 2018
Personal thoughts on the European Cultural Heritage Summit held in Berlin, June 2018.
What Are We Missing?
Since humans first stood and walked on two feet, walking has been a very reliable means of transportation, maybe the most reliable. It is true walking was more difficult in the past and that gender, social status and even fashion played a huge role. Nowadays we rely on comfortable shoes and flexible soles that can carry us anywhere. Mobile phones, headphones, traffic, faces or buildings keep us from literally watching our step and see cobblestones, for instance.
Sharing Food, Sharing Heritage
The dining table unites family and friends, and if you look carefully enough you may notice that what’s on the table is far more than just festive food. Perhaps it’s a place of cherished traditions as well as fabulous feasts. When stuffing ourselves with mouth-watering foods, we often forget the rich heritage and legacy established by many generations past.
Laurisilva of Madeira
Maybe those were not the exact words, but the feeling of amusement is probably not so far. In 1420, when the Portuguese navigators arrived this island, in the Atlantic Ocean, they were impressed with the majestic presence of the forest. And that forest was and still is the Laurisilva of Madeira.
Far From the Madding Crowd
Deep in the European part of Russia there is a church that stands as a monument of people choice. Footprints of it are stoned within the walls, discovering it - discovering country history.