Three Italian nominations for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: the

Three Italian nominations for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

Italy has submitted three dossiers seeking recognition as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, intending to highlight practices that connect tradition, craftsmanship and local communities.

• The nativity scene (presepe): a proposal to recognize the nativity tradition as a cultural practice combining artistic creativity, craft skills and popular devotion, referencing historical sites including locations linked to Assisi.
• The ritual of drying grapes in Valpolicella: an agronomic and cultural practice tied to the drying of grapes, central to the local winemaking process and traditional enological knowledge.
• Alpine food heritage: a transnational initiative coordinated by Switzerland with participation from Italy, France and Slovenia, aimed at inscription in the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices for alpine food traditions.

The nominations seek to protect living knowledge, traditional trades and typical productions, fostering cooperation among public bodies, associations, consortia and academic institutions. UNESCO recognition could support cultural programs, training projects and educational tourism initiatives in the involved territories.

The recognition process involves preparing technical dossiers and stages of verification and community consultation: it is a multi-step procedure that may take considerable time and evaluations at national and international levels.

Practical note: follow official updates from the Ministry of Culture and local authorities for progress and announcements.