When I first started to visit Italy the last thing on my mind was UNESCO.I was more interested in the vineyards of Tuscany, the fashions of Milano and the food of Emilia Romagna. Over the last 10 years my trips to Italy have been an on going journey to discover the Italy of my family and friends.Now I travel to Italy on business as well with my company, Cositutti, to bring All Fine Things Italian to CosituttiMarketPlace.com. But somewhere along the way I realized that I had visited 19 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Italy.Something I now know to be very special.
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) was established in 1972 to encourage the identification and preservation of the cultural and natural heritage sites around the world considered to be of significant value to humanity. Places with outstanding natural or cultural merit that deserve the protection of our world community. The World Heritage list includes 878 sites in 185 countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. The US is home to 20 sites (including the Statue of Liberty, the Pueblos of Taos,Grand Canyon National Park, Smoky Mountain National Park, Yellowstone National Park, the Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings and Independence Hall ). For a complete list go to http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/it . Twenty seven places around the globe were recently added including the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere northwest of Mexico City.
I now make it a priority to visit or re-visit at least one or two of the UNESCO sites every time I travel to Italy I appreciated them in the past for their historical significance and remarkable beauty. I now appreciate them as our legacy and a source of inspiration for future generations.
Unfortunately World Heritage status is no guarantee of protection. Tourist related activities and time all take a toll on the preservation of World Heritage sites.The Galapagos Islands, in fact, was placed on UNESCO's lesser known list - the List of World Heritage in danger.
It's for this reason, as part of Cositutti's continued commitment to responsible travel, that an annual percentage of company profits will be contributed to the Friends of World Heritage Fund for the protection and conservation of our world's heritage. World heritage is a terrible thing to waste.
Here are a few of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites I've visited in Italy
Ceiling oculus Camera degli Sposi Gonzaga Palace Mantua
The comune of Siena, a work of art that blends into the Tuscan landscape
Verona, a blend of Medieval and Renaissance Italy for over 2,000 years
The early Christian monuments and mosaics of Ravenna
Leonardo's "Il Cenacolo", The Last Supper painted on the north wall of the refectory of the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milano
Florence, symbol of the Renaissance with view of Santa Maria del Fiore and Brunelleschi's dome
The Romanesque style La Torre Pendente , The Leaning Tower of Pisa in Piazza dei Miracoli
The lagoons that reflect the city of Venice
Villas along the Brenta canal near the northern Italian city of Vincenza reflect the architectual style of Palladio
The Tuscan towers of San Gimignano was one of the first UNESCO sites I visited in Italy
Crespi d' Adda along the Adda River in Lombardia
Val d'Orcia - the classic landscape of Tuscany
The town of Sabbioneta
The eternal city of Rome
Assisi, one of the great spiritual centers of the world
