Five Italian projects win European Heritage Awards 2026 for cultural

Five Italian projects win European Heritage Awards 2026

Rome, 28 April 2026 — Five Italian projects were selected from over 260 submissions across 18 countries and received recognition at the European Heritage Awards 2026. The awarded initiatives range from monumental restoration to urban regeneration, archival preservation and specialist training.

Highlights of the Italian recipients and why they were honored:

• Polirone Monastic Complex (San Benedetto Po, Mantua): awarded for its restoration and adaptive reuse after earthquake damage; the project returned the site to public life as a cultural center hosting events and civic activities.
• DumBO (Bologna): a large-scale urban regeneration model that converted a former rail yard into a multifunctional district preserving industrial identity while hosting cultural and creative activities.
• National Historical Archive of Italian Restorers (RES.I): recognized in the research category for creating a database of private restoration archives, documents and photographs vital for knowledge transfer in conservation.
• HIMASS (International Summer School): noted for combining engineering, architectural analysis and traditional techniques in masonry conservation, with strong training and professional networking outcomes.
• Intorno a Minerva (Breno, Brescia): awarded for its community engagement and initiatives that bring together refugees, students and residents around an archaeological park.

These awards highlight that heritage protection in Italy goes beyond material conservation to include social regeneration, skills transmission and the creation of open cultural spaces. Initiatives like RES.I and HIMASS also stress the growing role of digital and educational infrastructures in enabling more informed conservation practices.

Impact: recognition at the European level increases the visibility of effective local practices and may encourage the replication of participatory conservation and sustainable reuse models across Italian urban and rural contexts.