The UNESCO World Heritage Committee approved the inclusion of Bologna’s porticoes on the World Heritage List yesterday. They join Padua’s 14th century fresco cycles as new entrants.
Dating back to the 12th century, Bologna’s porticoes are an integral part of the city’s scene. Yesterday, the World Heritage Committee added the porticoes to the Heritage List.
Very much a part of life in Bologna, the porticoes offer shade and shelter and are a favoured meeting place.
Porticoes are an expression and element of Bologna’s urban identity
The listed porticoes consist of twelve component parts. They are representative of the entire 62km stretch. UNESCO said the porticoes over the centuries “have become an expression and element of Bologna’s urban identity.”
Bologna officials reacted with pleasure to the news. The new classification is “an immense satisfaction and a great recognition that makes us happy,” said Bologna’s mayor, Virginio Merola.
The civic mayoral candidate of the centre-right, Fabio Battistini said, “my commitment will be to work to give them back the splendour they deserve, with the necessary lighting and cleaning and definitively clearing the garbage from those in the historic centre”, reports Bologna Today.
Battistini was also keen to thank “the Government and the Bolognese Undersecretary Lucia Borgonzoni, who has long been committed to this goal that has finally been achieved”.
Italy now has 58 heritage sites
The addition raised the number of Italian sites on the list to 58. Earlier this week, the 14th-century Giotto frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, and Montecatini Terme, a well-preserved thermal spa town in Tuscany, also made the list.
