World Heritage Sites are natural and cultural places and objects inscribed by The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). These sites are deemed to be “of outstanding value to humanity.” UNESCO actively works to identify, protect and preserve these places under the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted in 1972. Italy boasts more World Heritage sites than any other country in the world. It has 53 cultural and 5 natural UNESCO World Heritage sites. From large areas like the city of Verona or the Amalfi Coast to smaller sites such as Villa d'Este or the archeological location of Pompeii the list of Italy continues to grow.
Check out these 5 interesting facts about UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Italy.
- Along with cultural and natural world heritage sites, Italy is also recognized by intangible cultural heritage. There are 14 UNESCO intangible cultural heritage practices recognized in Italy such as the Mediterranean diet and Sicilian Puppet Theater.
- There are 31 sites on UNESCO’s Tentative List and the ancient Roman road Via Appia and the medieval Umbrian city of Orvieto are included.
- Italy’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site was inscribed in 1979 to the rock drawings in Valcamonica, which are prehistoric drawings located in the Lombardy region
- In 2022, UNESCO decided to specifically honor the 14th-century frescoes in the historic city of Padua as 1 of the 34 new spots on the list.
- There have been 58 State of Conservation Reports that chronicle the threats Italy’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites are currently facing. Examples of threats include: the impacts of tourism, financial resources, and air pollution.
Asia London Palomba
Asia London Palomba is a trilingual freelance journalist from Rome, Italy. In the past, her work on culture, travel, and history has been published in The Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura, The Christian Science Monitor, and Grub Street, New York Magazine's food section. In her free time, Asia enjoys traveling home to Italy to spend time with family and friends, drinking Hugo Spritzes, and making her nonna's homemade cavatelli.