ERIH Italy Meeting: Recap and Conclusions
Intangible heritage as well as environmental and social regeneration took centre stage at the annual meeting of ERIH Italy on 19 April at the Tecnopolo in Reggio Emilia. The broad approach from a variety of angles revealed that urban regeneration is an objective which brings together a wide range of experiences and audiences. The attendance oft he meeting was positively large, with the main ERIH Italy sites represented, and over 20 registered participants, plus other members connected remotely.
In her opening session, Stefania Carretti, speaking on behalf of the hosting site Reggiane Historical Archives, explained how the infinite narrative possibilities of archival documentation can be used to regenerate the "immaterial heritage" in order to tell the evolution of places and build a "sensitive city". Environmental regeneration is certainly one of the features of the "Open Your Mine" project presented by Commissioner Elisabetta Castelli of the Geomining Park of Sardinia. At the same time, this project is an example for social regeneration, implemented through initiatives aimed at bringing communities closer to their mines.
Of no less interest were the experiences of regeneration projects carried out through the creation of industrial heritage routes. Alessio Zoeddu mentioned the "public history" routes, which offer visitors a fresco of the former Bologna Metalmeccanica project on production and labour sites as cultural heritage through memories, interviews and company stories, collected by the Museum of Industrial Heritage. Another example was provided by René Capovin from Brescia's MUSIL (with the ERIH member Museum of Iron), who illustrated the creation of the Po Valley Heritage Route, the first ERIH Regional Route in Italy.