On 6 JUNE at 10:30 am at the Biagi Auditorium, Salaborsa, in Piazza Nettuno 3, the World Heritage Porticoes Office held a meeting with Liceo Galvani and the Lions in collaboration with the AIGU Italian Youth Association for UNESCO.
Councillor Annalisa Boni, who opened the meeting by speaking to the students in English, reiterated the importance of projects such as this one, which support and raise public awareness on the value of heritage. In this specific case, since it is a UNESCO site, she underscored the role of education: young people today receive a significant legacy that they are tasked with handing over to those who come after them.
Merging the past with the future - she added - is the purpose of today.
Professor Anna Chiara Stinchi of Liceo Galvani presented in detail the project, which involves the third-year classes of the IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) high school science curriculum, and consists of an integrated program combining photography lessons and field visits, to acquire materials that will culminate into an exhibition and a publication.
It was then Youth for UNESCO’s turn. Lidiana Arré, appealing to UNESCO principles, stressed that among the central objectives advocated by the international association, is the work of building peace based on education and culture, while Adele Spina’s talk established a direct connection with the young people in the room through an interactive activity on heritage.
Finally, Marco Vagnerini, Coordinator of the Lions Clubs of Bologna, described the clubs’ activities in support of the porticoes, especially the cooperation agreements on graffiti removal, and the intense and productive work with the schools.
The morning ended with Architect Federica Legnani, site manager of “The Porticoes of Bologna” who recommended a screening of the short film “Guida per camminare all’ombra” (Guide to Walking in the Shadows) by Renzo Renzi (1954), an exemplary tribute to storytelling on porticoes, and pinpointed the feature that makes the Bologna site exceptional:
since 1288 the portico, a portion of a private building, has been the heritage of the community as it is for public use.