This book delves into the invaluable contributions made by the Italian UNESCO Chairs toward addressing the intricate and pressing global challenges of our era. Established within the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs program initiated by UNESCO in 1992, these Chairs serve as vital links between the realms of academic research and civil society. They offer a conduit for disseminating knowledge, thereby advancing the objectives of global development. By facilitating the transfer and adoption of scientific methodologies through intellectual collaboration, they strive to enhance the sustainability and resilience of both individual communities and society at large.
Through a series of dialogues, the Italian UNESCO Chairs critically examine the challenges inherent in this mission, the objectives they aim to achieve, the strategies employed in scientific research, and the development of novel areas of study. They approach these endeavors with a conscientious and responsible mindset, recognizing them as essential responses to the multifaceted issues arising in our rapidly evolving world.
The contributions put forth by the Italian UNESCO Chairs serve as practical tools for the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, making them relevant to various stakeholders. These include not only citizens, scholars, public and private institutions, research centers, and administrators but also anyone with an interest in tackling the challenges of sustainable development in our everyday lives.
Nora Lombardini has a Ph.D. in Conservation and Restoration of Architecture at Politecnico di Milano. She is an Associate Professor in Restoration at Politecnico di Milano, ABC Department. Her research activity is on the following topics: study of history and theory of restoration; history of the construction phases of the buildings; structural analysis of historical buildings; studies on the conservation of historic centers. Her research focuses on the enhancement of archaeological areas and modern architecture in Italy, Georgia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, and Serbia. She is involved in several European Projects. She has been delegated by the Chair holder Federico Bucci in the management of the UNESCO Chair “ Architectural Preservation and Planning in World Heritage Cities” Mantua Campus of Politecnico di Milano.
Federico Bucci is a full professor of History of Architecture at Politecnico di Milano, ABC Department, where he is also the Rector’s Delegate for Cultural Policies, Vice-Rector for Mantua Campus, and Chair Holder of UNESCO Chair in “Architectural Preservation and Planning in World Heritage Cities”. He has been a member of the American Society of Architectural Historians, president of Associazione Italiana Storici dell’Architettura, and has delivered speeches at national and international conferences.
Angela Colonna has a Ph.D. in Documentation Cataloging, Analysis, and Reuse of Cultural Heritage at the University of Bari. She is a researcher in Architectural History and Landscape History at the University of Basilicata. She is the Holder of the UNESCO Chair on “Mediterranean Cultural Landscapes and Communities of Knowledge” at the University of Basilicata. She has drafted, together with Domenico Fiore, the Management Plan of the “The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera” UNESCO site, approved in 2015. Among her publications "Creating communities of knowledge and connecting to landscape, in Humanist Futures: Perspectives from UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN
Networks on the Future of Education, UNESCO 2020.
Elena Fioretto has a Ph.D. in Conservation and Restoration of Architecture at Politecnico di Milano, ABC Department. During her Ph.D., her research activities focused on the protection and enhancement of Cultural Heritage considered also a vehicle for intercultural dialogue with particular attention to the eastern part of Europe. The title of the thesis is “Empire on the borders. A study for the protection and enhancement of fragile structures on the Danubian Limes in Serbia”. She collaborated with Prof. Nora Lombardini in the educational activity (courses in Restoration Fundaments, Preservation Studio, Preservation Studio, and Interior Design, Thematic Studio) and in the research activity, developing various International Erasmus+ Project and organizing an International Workshop called “Heritage Without Frontiers” (4 editions, 2018-2022). Currently, she is collaborating with Prof. Federico Bucci, coordinating the activities of the UNESCO Chair in “Architectural Preservation and Planning in World Heritage Cities” at the Mantua Campus of Politecnico di Milano.
