Year of creation: 2014
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- other
- Venetian language (literary, philologic, didactic, and linguistic) research, promotion, teaching, training; Venetian history and culture research, promotion, teaching, training

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- other
- language standardization, corpus amplification

Main countries where active:

Brazil, Croatia, Italy

Objectives:
The Academia de ła Bona Creansa aims at ensuring the broadest and most conscious inter-generational transmission of the Venetian language, and of the Venetian culture with it.
Activities:
The Academia de ła Bona Creansa, also known as Academia de ła Łengua Veneta, is a very active institution. As for its research and divulgation objectives, it organized the first two international conferences on the Venetian Language with several scholars and experts from a dozen of universities in the World, representatively reaching the venetophone communities and competent experts in the fields of language teaching, planning, and research.

Cooperation:
The Academia de a Bona Creansa offers free language and (cultural-)content support to all those individuals asking for it, from the institutional representative bodies or persons, to associations (also of venetophone emigrants), schools, research institutions, and particularly individual practitioners on the Venetian language and culture. The Academia, in fact, is often asked by individual writers, teachers, students, artists, actors, playwriters, poets, copywriters, journalists, publishers, museum directors, painters, singers, etc., to confirm or correct their works or produce new texts or translations in the Venetian language or on the Venetian language, history, and culture that will be part or input for their cultural and intellectual works.

Year of creation: 1990
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- traditional craftsmanship

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- revitalization

Main countries where active:

Italy

Objectives:
According to the item 3 of the statute, in its larger aim of solidarity and social and cultural promotion, the objectives for which the nCircolo" was established are:

a) gathering together all those wno would have interest in the development and promotion of the social, cultural, natural and touristic heritage of Scapoli village and surrounding area;
b) working together in making active the participation of the community to the best safeguard and improvement of the historical, cultural, artistic and natural common heritage;
c) safeguarding and promoting culture and traditions with special reference to the zampogna (the typical bagpipe of Southem Italy that has in Scapoli one of the places where making and playing this instrument is a tradition still particularly alive);
d) supporting and organizing festivities, competitions, expositions, fairs, festivals, meetings, public shows, cultural demonstrations, training courses;
e) assuming initiatives, also in cooperation with the municipality and other authorities and associations, to contribute to the touristic and rural development of the area;
f) publishing magazines and advertising and popular materials according to its aims.

Besides, according to the item 4 the Cireolo carries out its work and initiatives not only in Scapoli's area but also out of it with the aim to favour the exchange and the cooperation between communities and territories.
Activities:
When some inhabitants of Scapoli decided to establish the cultural association "Circolo della Zampogna", the tradition of making and playing this ancient instrument was still deely-rooted in the local community, but they felt the need to preserve this heritage and to transfer it to the new generations. For that, many and various activities have been carried out, involving not only the zampogna makers and players but the whole
community. The main actions can be summarized in the following:
- institution of a Permanent Exposition of Italian and Foreign Bagpipes and of a documentation centre called "Italian Centre of the Bagpipe";
- revitalization of the preceding zampogna Market through the integration with a musical Festival (the Intemational Bagpipes Festival) in which traditional music and new compositions and sounds could meet offering to the young people the opportunity to appreciate the vitality and the potentiality of a so ancient and topical instrument;
- organization of training courses for playing and making the zampogna and to train groups of young people to safeguarding activities;
- participation of the "Circolo della Zampogna" to several meetings, festivals and other initiatives at home and abroad;
- educational, awareness-raising and information activity aimed at the schools of the area;
- publishing of the magazine "Utriculus" (from the Latin name of the bagpipe), CD, DVD, videos and books;
- organization of meetings and other events in cooperation with the Molise University, the Ministry of Culture, the "Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise" National Park and other public institutions;
- promotion (and support to) studies and degree thesis conceming the zampogna and its traditional and present context;
- creation of a network of exchanges and links with Italian and foreign similar associations, cultural and musical institutions, museums, scholars, experts and enthusiast people;
- participation to the establishement of the ICHNet (Intangible Cultural Heritage Network).

Especially relevant, in safeguarding the zampogna cultural heritage has been the experience of the project "Living with the Bagpipe" devised and realized by the Circolo in the ambit of the European Programme "LEADER II". Besides all the other good results in terms of preservation, promotion and revitalization, the project let the Circolo to take the first census of the cultural heritage connected with the zampogna, to collect materials and documents for the Italian centre of the Bagpipe, to realize a transnational
cooperation project called "Common Sounds to the European Rural World" in cooperation with the Local Action Group "North Pennines" (Northumber1ad, UK) and above all to reinforce the link between the community and its heritage.

About the competence and the expertise in the domain of intangible cultural heritage, the personnel and the membership consist in: traditional zampogna makers and players, ethnomusicologists, anthropologists, musicians and musical groups, cultural associations, museums, libraries, researchers, scholars, university teachers, besides
simple enthusiasts.
Cooperation:
The "Circolo della Zampogna" was bom from the will of a consistent part of the local community "to do something" to safeguard, to promote and to transfer to the new generations the typical cultural heritage represented by the zampogna. Since its foundation joined the Association several zampogna makers and players that, both as group and individuals, are those who traditionally create, maintain and transmit this kind
of heritage. Besides, most of the activities have been carried out wit the involvement and the participation of the whole community, from its younger to the older members. At this regard, a very important and successful role has been played by the LEADER project "Living with the bagpipe" with which it has been possible to reinforce the relationship between people and their cultural heritage.

Particularly significant is also the annuallntemational Bagpipe Festival in which. for some days, the whole village of Scapoli becomes like a big open-air stage where local people are proud to exhibit their instruments, music, foods, environment, meeting and exchanging experiences with musicians, craftsmen and visitors coming from
everywhere. The festival is organized in collaboration with the Commune and with the local turistic association. There are also involved all the economic and trade activities of the area, people give their help in the organization of the event, place rooms for visitors and musicians, sell gastronomic specialities, etc. In each edition of the Festival the musicians involved, traditional and not, come from all over Italy and each time from 2, 3 or more foreign countries. The event is very well attended (around 20.000 visitors, which is a very large audience for a very small village like Scapoli).

Every year, on the occasion of the Assembly of the members, the Circolo organizes also 2 "Bagpipers Meetings", in Spring an in Autumn, in which the participants analyse what has been done and propose what could better to do in terms of safeguard, research, transmission and promoting of the zampogna tradition.

Year of creation: 2000
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- performing arts
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- traditional craftsmanship

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- revitalization

Main countries where active:

Italy

Objectives:
The main objective of Musa Association is promoting and safeguarding the traditional material and spiritual culture of the "Four Provinces", the appenninic northwest area divided for administration purposes into four provinces and four regions: Alessandria (Piemonte), Genova (Liguria), Pavia (Lombardia), Piacenza (Emiia Romagna). In this area traditional music is still performed and orally transmitted and still represents a reference-point for the cultural horizons of population. Musa Association is also engaged in the diffusion of the knowledge of local tradition outside the area in order to create the opportunities of dialogue with different but similar traditional languages. Another objective of Musa Association is the safeguard and promotion of the typical agricultural production of "Four Provinces", including the well-known "Montebore" cheese, protected by the international Slow Food organization, and the "Quarantina" potatoes, typical product of Genua inland. At this aim, Musa is cooperating with farmers engaged in traditional production as well as with local, national and international organizations operating in the field of traditional and natural food preservation. Musa Association is also supporting the international organization "Emergency" aiming to a larger social commitment.
Activities:
From its foundation, Musa Association is engaged in the organization of traditional players and singers performances either on the occasion of regional festive and ritual events during the cycles of the year, or in the frame of folk festivals which take place in the "Four Provinces" area. Musa also cooperates with villages communities in the organization of events centered on traditional themes, both in material and spiritual culture, and promotes material and spiritual traditional culture by means of any kind of medias (newspapers, magazines, websites etc.), as well as carrying on activities addressed to local and national institutions in order to attract the attention towards cultural heritages of "Four Provinces".
Musa Association organizes research groups mainly composed by peoples living inside the Four Provinces area, in order to enhance the awareness of their own cultural heritage. An important field of Musa research is the collection and study of documentations of music-making activities both in past time and in the present, as well as any other traces of material and spiritual traditional culture of Four Provinces (old pictures, letters, recording, working and musical instruments etc.) The researches are aimed to the publication of Cd's and books centered on traditional culture.
All members of the Musa Association are born in Four Provinces or have very deep relationship with this region, so they have a deep aknowledgement of the characteristics of the area. They grew up among the living tradition absorbing directly from their ancestors dialects, music and songs, and conceptions of life of ancient mountaineers. On the other hand some of them are also engaged as journalists and researchers in the field of traditional music or in some very closed sectors.
From the very beginnig of its activity, the Musa Association has organized many events centered on traditional music of Four Provinces, among which we wish to lay stress on the big pipe players and poliphonic singers meeting called "Curmà di pinfri", celebrating the end of summer season as the most intense working period for players. This very important event attracts every years traditional players from many parts of Europe.
During its eight years of activities, the Musa Association has also published 1 CD of field recorded traditional songs (Vieni oi bella - Traditional songs of Borbera valley, 2003), 2 ethnographic books (Cosola - Environment, work, tradition in an Appenninic community of high Borbera Valley, 2005 ; Chi nasce mulo bisogna che tira calci - A journey through the traditional culture of Four Provinces), 1 Cd-book (Noi cantiamo con il verso bello - Liturgy, rite and religious traditions in Cosola, Borbera Valley)
Most recently, Musa Association has organized one show of traditional songs and musics of Four Provinces centered on the important theme of emigration from the Appenninic mountains to the America. The show was performed by traditional musicians playing piffero (a traditional pipe belonging to the family of hautboys) and accordion (the instrument that at beginning of ninteenth century took the place of the ancient local bagpipe).



Cooperation:
As we said before, Musa Association's members are deeply rooted on the local reality, consequently they carry on their activities in a constant dialogue with peoples living in the area. The village community is the first collective subject with which the Musa Association get in touch every time it undertakes a new activity. All the events promoted by Musa Association resulte from the dialogue with all the organizations and the individualities someways engaged in traditional practices. For example, the publication of books and Cd is the result of a field-research in which many peoples of different ages were involved playing the role of witness of the past and holders of traditional knowledges. During the performances dedicated to the emigration towards America, many people which experienced emigration, as well as sons and relatives of emigrants, took part actively at the show speaking about their own experience. Of course, a particular attention is dedicated to the traditional musicians; some of them indeed are directly involved in the activitiy of Musa Association. In the organization of traditional musical performances Musa Association emphasizes the artistic abilities of all the musicians respecting the various performing characteristics of each one, with particular attention to young people at the beginning of their career.

Year of creation: 1965
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- performing arts
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- traditional craftsmanship
- other
- Traditional puppet theatre

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- revitalization
- Organization of events such as Festival di Morgana (Morgana's Festival)

Main countries where active:

Italy

Objectives:
After the crisis of Sicilian traditional puppetry, the Association was established and in 1975 it founded, and still manages, the ethno-anthropological Museo internazionale delle marionette Antonio Pasqualino (Antonio Pasqualino International Puppet Museum), which houses ab. 4.000 items used in traditional puppetry from different countries. It aims to safeguard and revitalize puppet traditions and the related craftsmanship, as well as local practices and productions in their different territorial, artistic and traditional expressions so as to save and expand the rich immaterial heritage connected to Sicilian folk traditions and to encourage the research focusing on their relation with their original context. It keeps a comparative attitude by relating Sicilian puppetry to other countries’ traditions.
This activity takes place by means of collecting; research; promotion; networking and cooperation; educational, didactic and theatrical activities, eg. Festival di Morgana (that promotes the cultural/professional exchange between Sicilian and foreign puppeteers), as follows:
-the socio-anthropological researches about traditional puppetry and practices;
-the organization and management of centres for multi-disciplinary documentary research; the foundation of libraries, film archives, and multimedia application centres focusing on identification, documentation and research (including inventorying)
-the realization of innovation projects by means of grants, research contracts and conventions;
-the organization of cultural events in the fields of literature, theatre and art involving local and foreign institutions
-the participation in national/international events to preserve, continue and expand Sicilian traditional practices in Italy and abroad;
-the publishing activity, to popularize the subjects connected to traditional puppetry and practices;
-the creation of networks including other institutions operating with the same aim and in the same field all over the world
-the promotion and realization of programs for the collaboration with public/private institutions, national and international, aiming to operate in the research field and promote the exchange of professionals with other Italian and foreign certified institutes;
-the counselling service to help the Regional government adopt the right strategies for the preservation/promotion of traditional practices, expand its collection about material/immaterial culture; the conservation and permanent exhibition of some of its ethno-anthropological collections;
-the organization of educational/didactic projects and activities in cooperation with private/public institutions concerning the Museum’s patrimony, local and foreign traditions.
Activities:
The Association’s managing board and its scientific committee are composed of high-brows mainly operating in the field of folk traditions, in collaboration with the anthropological faculty of Palermo’s University. Since the beginning they have undertaken important researches about local traditions and material culture collecting important testimony and recording, among others, religious festivals, puppet shows, interviews to puppeteers and traditional spectators. These researches led to the Congress “Museografia e folklore” (Museography and folklore), held in Palermo in 1967 and organized by the Association: it was to be the first step for the creation of a new demology and museography centred on a scientific approach in the study of folk traditions. Moreover, the Association prepared the nomination and supported the Opera dei Pupi to obtain the 2001 UNESCO’s declaration as a “Masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of Humanity”. Also, to safeguard the Opera dei pupi, the Association started to collect lots of items used to put on traditional shows creating the first core of the collection, which was to be exhibited at the Museo internazionale delle marionette (International Puppet Museum), founded in 1975: its collections include ab. 4,000 items concerning traditional puppetry, both Italian and foreign as well as contemporary puppet art.
Among the numerous activities of the Association:
• the organization of the annual Festival di Morgana, a review of traditional theatrical practices organized in collaboration international festivals and institutions. It gives the opportunity to increase the Museum’s collections, promotes the trans-national mobility of cultural operators and the trans-national circulation of artistic and cultural works. It encourages the intercultural dialogue by adopting an interdisciplinary approach and proposing programmes, which have always promoted an exchange between folk and cultivated theatre, art and music in relation to the field of performing arts, heritage and culture. In its latest five editions, it involved more than 500 artists (www.festivaldimorgana.it)
• the creation of a stable Opera dei pupi company involving the main traditional puppeteers from all over Sicily. This stable collaboration has allowed the organization of ab. 250 traditional Opera dei pupi shows in the last 2 years, and proved to be impressively effective for the promotion and revival of this local tradition
• the management of the Museum’s library “Giuseppe Leggio” which includes ab. 7,000 volumes on anthropology and folk traditions, the Opera dei pupi and puppetry
• the cataloguing of the Association library’s patrimony through SBN Unix C/S application of the Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo Unico (Central Institute for a Unique Catalogue); the cooperation for the creation of a Libr@rsi website: these activities aim to provide a free, wider and easier fruition of the uploaded on-line catalogue of the Association’s library
• the copying, digitalizing and inventorying of the Association’s audio-visual patrimony (including ab. 1,578 items), with particular reference to the bobbins dating back to the Sixties concerning the Opera dei pupi shows and interviews made by Antonio Pasqualino and Marianne Vibaek.
• the revision of the Museum’s photo archive which includes white and black photos of the Museum’s collections and the performances
• the restoring of the Museum’s oldest puppets and its recent promotion through the project “Adotta un pupo” (“Adopt a puppet” – www.adottaunpupo.it) which involves donors who can choose the puppet to restore and be informed about its state
• the restoring of the oldest advertising posters and backcloths of the Opera dei pupi
• the organization of seminars in collaboration with prestigious national/international institutions: eg. “Art and Anthropology”, (in Palermo), in collaboration with Paris “Musée du Quay Branly”; seminars centred on epic stories in the oral and written traditions such as those organized on the occasion of Morgana’s Festival (Palermo and other Sicilian towns) or “Storytelling”, a festival (in various Sicilian towns), in collaboration with the Sicilian Museum Casa museo Antonino Uccello, which was centred on the oral transmission of knowledge and the various expressive codes of traditional storytellers; the “Convivio musicale. Incontri con l’arte e la musica tradizionale” (The Musical Feast. Meetings with art and traditional music), held in various Sicilian towns and in collaboration with CIDIM (Italian National Committee for Music), which included performances of local story-singers concerning some famous stories of the poetico-musical repertoire. Performed according to the traditional executive techniques and staging codes; cunti, which are serialized stories publicly related by wandering storytellers and concerning chivalric epics stemmed from the ancient French Chansons de geste; concerts of folk songs; seminars about the Opera dei pupi and Unesco masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity held in Palermo.
Cooperation:
Since its foundation, the Association has cooperated with local puppeteers and craftsmen to help them survive the deep crisis, which since 1950s threatened the existence of this local tradition. This stable collaboration aims to increase their activity and expectations within a constant exchange and dialogue, which are at the basis of the important research activity carried on by the founding members of the Association. Moreover, their continuous presence at the Museum proved to be precious for the revision of the Museum’s inventories, which include important details about the items of its collections (origin, creator, character, etc.). The result of such relation and researches led to obtain the UNESCO’s declaration of the Opera dei pupi as a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”. In addition, in order to revive, promote and popularize it, since the opening of the Museum, the Association organized an annual review of the Opera dei pupi and during the year it still schedules Sicilian puppet shows by inviting companies from all over Sicily and involving them in other didactic activities. Not only does the Association mediates in the relationship between puppeteers and national and international spectators and institutions, but it also creates contacts and cooperation with craftsmen, puppeteers and artists from other countries promoting the cultural and professional exchange between Sicilian traditional artists and foreigners operating in the same field. In fact, during the annual Festival di Morgana, the Association often invites companies from abroad, which perform or hold workshops in Palermo, and it has also promoted the production of innovative performances mixing traditional practices (ex. Chinese Opera and Sicilian Opera dei pupi), or various forms of art (contemporary dance, paintings and music): the result was the creation of artistic works which plays with the Opera dei pupi traditional codes which gave Sicilian artists the possibility to become more aware about their activity and to expand the range of their experience in the puppet field. Finally, this exchange has helped the development of a more general comparative study of traditional theatrical practices.

Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- performing arts
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- traditional craftsmanship

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education

Main countries where active:

Italy

Objectives:
The "Associazione Sant'Antuono & le Battuglie Pastellessa" carries out activities for the promotion and safeguarding of the intangible culture and tradition of the "Battuglia di Pastellessa" or "Carro di Sant'Antuono" of Macerata Campania (Caserta, Italy), which is unique for many aspects and has a long tradition.
The "Battuglia di Pastellessa" are ornamental wagons that are prepared to celebrate the religious feast of Saint Anthony, the Abbot, in January following a tradition that started 700 years ago in Macerata Campania. "Pastellessa" is the name of the special sound executed by the "Battuglia di Pastellessa", where "battuglia" stands for group and its members are called "bottari", or barrelbeaters, from the unusual rural instruments utilized consisting in barrels, vats and sickles.
The "Associazione Sant'Antuono & le Battuglie Pastellessa" is apolitical, non-partisan and a nonprofit
organization with the following aims:
- to organize the religious and civic celebration of Saint Anthony, the Abbot, in Macerata Campania (Caserta, Italy);
- to valorize and promote among the general public the arts of the ancient rural tradition of the "Battuglia di Pastellessa";
- to make concrete the values of solidarity and participation, through actions and initiatives aimed at solving social problems of all seqments of the population, with particular attention to those mostly affected by injustices and imbalances deriving from the present prevailing development model;
- to defend and promote the territory in all its aspects - ecological, urban, artistic, social and religious - and all its potential strength - in terms of tourism, sport, production and leisure management, against all forms of exploitation and deterioration;
- to translate the popular culture of the "Battuglia di Pastellessa" into research, studies, and events
of all kinds.
Membership to the Association is free, without any kind of discrimination with regard to race, citizenship, sex or religious belief. Other Associations, Committees, Institutions and Foundations, sharinq the same purposes of the Association, can apply for membership to the Association.
Activities:
Intangible Cultural Heritage: The "Associazione Sant'Antuono & le Battuglie Pastellessa" is actively engaged in the organization of the ancient Feast of Saint Anthony, the Abbot, in Macerata Campania, promoting and safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of the "Battuglia di Pastellessa" of Macerata Campania. During such event the Association coordinates about 1.000 "bottari".

Event: "Festa di Sant'Antuono" (Feast of Saint Anthony, the Abbot), Macerata Campania, January.

On January 17 the old-town of Macerata Campania hosts every year the Feast of Saint Anthony, the Abbot. During the previous days concerts, tastings and religious liturgies warm up the atmosphere. The feast consists in: firing the "Cippo di Sant'Antuono" (Saint Anthony's piece of wood), parade of the ornamental wagons of the "Battuglia di Pastellessa", fireworks and a raffle. The band exhibition of the "bottari" is in the morning when they are carried on 16 meter-long wagons, with their instruments consisting of vats, barrels and sickles, realized by local artisans, around the town. "Pastellessa" is the name of the special sound made by the unusual rural percussion instruments, but it is also the name of a local recipe, typical dish of the feast: pasta with dried chestnuts. After the Mass fireworks are exploded as symbol of the purification and the struggle against the evil spirit. Figurative fireworks representing a woman, a pig, a donkey, enrich the symbolism and represent the protective force from the snares of the world. Traditional games as tug of war, the sack race and the raffle, when all donations collected during the procession are auctioned, mark the closure of the festivities. The event is organized by the Association with the sponsorship of the Municipality of Macerata Campania, the Province of Caserta, with the
Campania Region, and the participation of the "Comitato per la promozione del patrimonio immateriale".

Dissemination

Project Sant'Antuono Web 2.0:
With the aim of disseminating knowledge about the intangible heritage, the Association has created a net of Internet Web (Official website, YouTube channel, Facebook group, etc...) that allows to communicate and interact with the people from all over the world. The Association's Web community puts together more than 1.000 subscribers.

Event - Official Presentation of the "Associazione Sant'Antuono & le Battuglie Pastellessa" and the Feast of Saint Anthony, the Abbot, 2009 edition, Macerata Campania, October 26, 2008. The event was organized by the Association with the sponsorship of the Municipality of Macerata Campania.

Event - Official Presentation of the Feast of Saint Anthony, the Abbot, 2010 edition, Macerata Campania, October 25, 2009.The event was organized by Association with the sponsorship of the Municipality of Macerata Campania.

Event - "Pastellessa Folk Festival", Macerata Campania, September 25,2010 - Festival of musical culture to put together and analyze the intangible cultural heritage of the "Pastellessa" of Macerata Campania and ''8allo e Canto sui Tamburo" (Dance & Song on the Drum) of the Italian Region Campania. The event was co-organized by the Association and the "Associazione Radici" with the sponsorship of the Municipality of Macerata Campania, the "Ente Provinciale per il Turismo di Caserta" , by the Province of Caserta and the "Comitato per la promozione del patrimonio immateriale (ICHNet)".

Round Table - "11 Carnevale dei popoli - 11 ruolo delle comunita nella salvaguardia e nella valorizzazione sostenibile del Carnevale" (The Carnival of the Peoples Role of the Community in Safeguarding and Sustainable Valorisation of the Carnival), Montemarano, March 12, 2011 -

A one day workshop to analyze the intangible cultural heritage of the Carnival in Campania and other Italian Regions, with the participation of the "Associazione Sant'Antuono & le Battuglie Pastellessa" in order to illustrate the ancient rural tradition of the "Battuglia di Pastellessa" of Macerata Campania. The event was co-organized by the "Comitato Carnevale di Montemarano" and the "Comitato per la promozione del patrimonio immateriale (ICHNet)" with the sponsorship of the "Istituto Centrale per la Demoetnoantropologia" of the Italian Ministry of Culture.

Education

Cooperation agreements established with Primary and Secondary schools of Macerata Campania for the Project "Scuole Aperte" promoted by the Campania Region.

Establishment of the Study Centre "Historia Loci" in order to fulfil safeguarding activities for the intangible cultural heritage of Macerata Campania through research, studies, and events.

"La festa di Sant'Antuono, patrimonio culturale immateriale di Macerata Campania" (Feast of Saint Anthony, the Abbot, intangible cultural heritage of Macerata Campania) - A research study on the Feast of Saint Anthony, the Abbot, in Macerata Campania.
Cooperation:
The "Associazione Sant'Antuono & le Battuglie Pastellessa" is tightly connected to and cooperates with the local community through a continuous relationship with young and elder people to maintain and transmit the tradition. Young people are invited to join in the practice of playing the various typical musical instruments used while elder people participate in the transmission of techniques and patterns of playing and singing.

The about 1.000 "bottari" split into twenty local groups, in order to create, maintain and transmit the intangible cultural heritage of the area.

In order to fulfil the safeguarding activities for the intangible cultural heritage of Macerata Campania, the Association collaborates with other Associations, Committees, Institutions and Foundations, of the territory such as the "Associazione Radici" of Marcianise, the "Comitato Carnevale di Montemarano" of Montemarano, the Province of Caserta, the Municipality of Macerata Campania. In order to strenghthen the knowledge of its local tradition and specific percussion techniques, it also collaborates with organizations from other parts of Italy including the "Comitato per la promozione del patrimonio immateriale (ICHNet - Intangible Cultural Heritage Network)" and the "Istituto Centrale per la Demoetnoantropologia" of the Italian Ministry of Culture.

Year of creation: 1982
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- performing arts
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
- traditional craftsmanship

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- revitalization

Year of creation: 1979
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- performing arts
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
- traditional craftsmanship

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- revitalization
- other
- Safeguarding through use of IP law tools

Objectives:
IOV is a worldwide organization of individuals and institutions organized for the purposes of documenting, preserving and promoting all forms of folk art, both tangible and intangible. The UNESCO Convention on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, with an emphasis on inventory making, research and documentation, is the frame of reference for many IOV projects and programs.
IOV encourages and supports scholarly and scientific research, documentation and publication on topics related to all five domains of the ICH; supports national and international folk art festivals and events; and coordinates exchanges among practitioners of folk art, including performing folk arts troupes and handicraft artisans; Through its commissions, IOV coordinates the work of experts worldwide in performing arts, crafts, festivals and events, traditional food, oral traditions including folk tales myths and legends and folk costumes
The objectives of the IOV International Commission on Scientific Research, with regional and national commissions in many areas and countries, include bringing together leading experts in folk art to collaborate on projects, symposia and conferences and publish proceedings on conferences and symposia. Through its scholarly journal Folk Culture, published quarterly in Bahrain and distributed to universities, libraries and cultural centers worldwide, the Commission on Scientific Research provides a forum where experts may submit for publication important works on folk art, folk culture and other topics within the domains of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Similar publications, as well as a newsletter either are, or will soon be, published in the languages of UNESCO. IOV believes that in order for the intangible cultural heritage to survive, it must evolve and meet the needs of people today. Consequently, IOV supports innovative ways to interest the youth in folk dance, music, song and costumes as a way of preserving and promoting folk art and ICH
IOV encourages democracy by requiring open elections of officers, executive board and presidential council members. Policy is made by the Presidential Council and ratified by the General Assembly. Officers and members of the Executive Board and Presidential Council are elected by the General Assembly. National sections hold democratic elections every two years.
IOV recognizes the importance of preserving folk culture and intangible cultural heritage by seeking to involve a broad coalition of individuals and organizations at all levels of society and from all strata of the population. To accomplish this objective, IOV has implemented a policy of nondiscrimination that welcomes all who wish to participate. Membership fees accommodations are given to those who are financially disadvantaged. IOV adheres to the WANGO Code of Ethics, adopted in 2008. A principle objective is to cooperate and coordinate our work with that of other NGOs in order to avoid duplication, as well as to conserve human and financial resources.
IOV encourages youth participation through its International Youth Commission, which currently includes over 120 members from 45 nations. World youth congresses are held biennually. The first was in 2008 and the second will take place in 2010 in Nanjing, China. IOV members commit to support the objectives of both UNESCO and IOV.

Activities:
IOV FIRST WORLD YOUTH CONGRESS: Bountiful, Utah, August 2008 brought together 120 young delegates and 350 observers from 40 nations for five days of lectures, demonstrations and workshops on ICH. The theme was "Living Traditions: Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage." Fifty lectures and presentations focused on the 5 domains of ICH, traditional knowledge and Expressions of Culture were presented. A folk art festival attended by over 12,000 plus 350 folk dancers and musicians from 10 nations provided a venue for presentation of folk art; HIGHLIGHTS included exhibits from China (Nanjing YunJin Silk Brocade Research Institute) and Azerbaijan (National Culinary Institute of Azerbaijan).
During the past four years, IOV has opened offices with full or part-time paid staff in Bahrain (2007), Nigeria (2005), USA (2009), and China (2009) Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing). Offices with part or full-time staff continue to operate in Brazil, Russia,
The Secretariat, in Austria, is staffed by the Secretary-General, a full-time Assistant, one part-time Bookkeeper and a part-time Treasurer. Since the death of IOV Founder Alexander Veigl in December 2008, the Secretariat has given priority to the job of updating membership data.
2009, IOV national sections established in Spain, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico.
2009, CONFERENCE ON FOLK TALES, MYTHS AND LEGENDS, held in Manila, Philippines with international participation explored ways of identifying and preserving oral traditions. IOV publishes an extensive calender of folk festivals each year, publishes a semi-annual newsletter, maintains a web site at www.iov-world.com and will soon open an online folk art market for selling handicrafts (proceeds to support the crafts makers). Similar activities are carried on in national sections.
2009, PEACE IN THE AMERICAS Conference and Youth Forum, to be in Santos, Brazil in August 2009, organized by ABROSOFFA, the IOV Brazil National Section. Representatives from 15 countries will explore the theme "Achieving a Culture of Peace: Folk Art Projects that Work."
2007-2009 IOV Quarterly Journal "Folk Culture," a peer-reviewed Arabic language, academic and scientific journal published in Bahrain (abstracted in English and French), is devoted to ICH of the Arab States. Now in 9th edition. Support is provided by the King of Bahrain, Ministry of Information, and the IOV Regional Office for the Middle East.
2009, in April, IOV held joint meetings with The National Folk Organization of the USA (2009).
2010, IOV INDIA CONFERENCE ON THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE being organized in Baruda, India in October 2010 by IOV India, with cooperation of the Indian National UNESCO Commission, Universitiu of Baroda, Prof. Dr. Parul Shah, Chair.
2007, IOV World Congress and General Assembly in Volos, Greece, 2007, organized by IOV Hellas Section, brought representatives from 80 nations together to approve new IOV projects and the annual budget, and to elect officers and directors. An international conference on the topic "Cultural Dialogue In the Context of Globalization" was held concurrently with the GA, which included performances by folk art troupes.
2009, IOV received trademark protection for its name and logo from the US Patent and Trademark Office in June, 2009.
2009, IOV China Section was officially established with a full-time Executive Director and four paid staff members. Significant recent accomplishments in China include:
- 2009, the IOV China Section was founded and legally recognized;
- 2008, Youth delegation of 12 individual participate in First IOV World Youth Congress, in Utah, USA;
- 2008 Nanjing YunJin Brocade Brocade Research Institute received a delegation from IOV to consult on ICH project;
- 2008 Nanjing YunJin participated in an IOV sponsored exchange with the USA and sent a loom and delegation to demonstrate silk brocade weaving at the IOV World Youth Congress in Utah, USA;
- 2008 IOV Secretary-General Hans J. Holz becomes the 69th torch bearer in Olympic Relay in Nanjing, China by invitation of Beijing Olympic Committee;
- 2009, City of Nanjing agreed to host the Second IOV World Youth Congress in October of 2010 with budget of approximately $US 200,000.00 and participation of 300 youth from 150 nations;
- October 2009: IOV China will host a conference with the theme “Protecting the Endangered Cultures of Minority Populations” in Chengdu. IOV China Section will bring to China approximately 30 experts to present papers and participate in discussions.
In 2008, IOV Established an International Commission on Traditional Theatre chaired by Valery Khazanov (Russia). In July of 2009, the IOV Scientific Research Commission for Central Europe will meet in Belorus and approve its working plan for 2009-2010.

Cooperation:
IOV has thirty years of experience cooperating with national UNESCO commissions other NGOs working in the Culture Sector. In particular, IOV has supported the work of academicians, scientists and professional folklorists from the time the first IOV Science and Research Commission was founded 20 years ago. In 2005, IOV had, as members of 17 commissions, 280 professional folklorists and academic experts specializing in traditional food, handicrafts, dance research, traditional music, puppetry, theater, myths and lengends, and other categories within ICH. (These commissions exist now on the national and regional level as a result of a decentralization in 2007). Many of these individuals had the backing of universities and institutions, which frequently are IOV's partners in organizing conferences and lectures. IOV has also worked with governmental bodies to sponsor folk dance and music festivals, as well as other folk art events.
IOV's mission, in part, is to help smaller or less well established NGOs working in the areas of folk art further their missions. IOV has also cooperated with large NGOs. IOV held joint meetings with CIOFF in 2005, organized by the Russian National House of Folk Art, which represents both organizations in Russia. On the national level, particularly in the area of festival organizing, IOV and CIOFF work together. ;
IOV works closely with national UNESCO Commissions in many countries where it is not uncommon to find the same individuals working in both organizations. For example, in the Philippines, IOV President Carmen Padilla is also the head of the Cultural Section of the Philippine National UNESCO Commission. In Bulgaria, Prof. Mila Santova has been head of the Bulgarian National UNESCO Commission and Chair of the IOV Science and Research Commission. Elvira Kunina is head of the Russian National UNESCO Commission and Vice-president of IOV. In 2005, she arranged a joint meeting of IOV and CIOFF in Novgorod.
In the USA, there is a close cooperative relationship between the National Folk Association and IOV. In 2008, the two organizations worked together to sponsor an international conference on Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage where 40 countries sent participants. In Bulgaria, Dr. Mila Santova, an IOV member and co-chair of the IOV Scientific Commission has led efforts to create the national inventory of ICH. In the Philippines, IOV recently co-sponsored a conference on folktales, myths and legends together with the Philippine National UNESCO Commission. IOV has had similar success working with national UNESCO commissions in Romania, India, South Korea, and other countries. In China, the China Federation of Literary and Arts Circles, CFLAC, and IOV have worked together to organize folkloric festivals in various parts of China, including Beijing, Xian, Hongzhou, Weifang, Boashan and Shanghai.
IOV National Sections should report to their National UNESCO Commissions at least annually. In 2009, IOV submitted its annual report to UNESCO Director General, ICH Section, Culture Sector, NGO Relations, US National UNESCO Commission, the Philippine National UNESCO Commission, and others. IOV works with many national and international NGOs, IGOs and private enterprise to support events and projects in a number of countries.
Through a Scholarship named to honor the founders of IOV, deserving young people who are economically disadvantaged are given assistance for travel to conferences that will further their careers in folk art.

Year of creation: 2001
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- performing arts
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
- traditional craftsmanship

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- other
- Digitization projects for audiovisual and sound archives Supporting museums in transmitting and promoting heritage to young generations Supporting local and national administrations in safeguard and promotion projects by acting as consultants for projects in museums and archives

Main countries where active:

Italy

Objectives:
The focus of the organization, since 2001, is on:
a) safeguarding and promoting traditional tangible and intangible heritage traces and documentation stored in museums and archives.
b) promoting a deeper understanding of this heritage and of cultural diversity through museum exhibitions and activities (learning activities within museums, seminars, lessons, conferences, creation of museum exhibitions, temporary and permanent).
c) training museum professionals to act for the safeguard and promotion of traditional heritage with deeper awareness of its implications and an ethnographic approach.
Main themes of these 7 past years of activity have been: intercultural issues within museum exhibitions and learning tools in museums, preservation of heritage in museums, museum professionals training, promotion of tangible and intangible heritage in local and national contexts through museum exhibitions, research projects, meetings and congresses, seminars and courses in various universities.
SImbdea also aims at creating a national community of museums and archives, who are the expression of local communities and who work locally and on national iniziatives also, to safeguard and promote local heritage.
Activities:
Simbdea began its activities in 2001, with the creation of an Associazione Culturale (Cultural Organization, a type of association belonging to the non –profit sector) with over 50 founding members. During the years, the number of members has reached over 200 people all around the country, including teachers, researchers and students from the museum studies area, museum and archive professionals, museum directors, education specialists, ethnomusicologists, ethnologists, researchers of local folklore, other local organizations who deal with preservation of heritage issues, and local administrations.
The Organization is active therefore both locally, which allows it to monitor local contexts throughout the country, but also on a national level, by promoting discussion and research about the most important and urgent issues related to heritage in all its forms and how museums and archives contribute in safeguarding and shaping the knowledge of heritage for the public and civil society. One important instrument of Simbdea’s dissemination policy is the periodical AM-Antropologia Museale, which was created in 2002 and deals with museums and heritage from different perspectives, raising many different issues and hosting interviews and contributions from both museum professionals, academics, and policy makers.
But Simbdea has also promoted or supported its local branches in organizing events for discussion both in academic contexts and within communities who exist around local museums: congresses, seminars, festivals, debates.
Since 2001 Simbdea has also carried out research and produced documentation about material culture and intangible heritage stored in ethnographic museums all over the country, mostly in projects involving the exhibition of new museums or the renovation of existing ones, but also working in projects for the training of museum professionals to safeguard and promote this specific type of heritage.
Simbdea’s training courses have regarded mostly the cataloguing of ethnographic heritage: both material culture and intangible heritage (catalogue cards type BDM – for objects- and BDI – for intangible heritage, according to the national Italian cataloguing standard for ethnographic heritage).
Another activity carried out by Simbdea has been aimed at connecting museums both on a regional and on a national level by working sometimes on behalf of regional administrations, as in the project DEMOS, when the Region Lazio requested Simbdea to monitor all ethnographic museums in the Region and implement a network. But Simbdea has also worked independently, by organizing annual regional meetings in different regions to create occasions for museums to meet and discuss common issues and create local networks. In some cases this activity has lead to the formation of spontaneous networks, as in the case of the network of museums “Rebel” in Lombardia.
On a national level the work of Simbdea has been to create during the events organized, and through its web site, a community of museums, in order to share knowledge, have opportunities to discuss ideas and plan common initiatives. The initiative “National day: Museums for intangible heritage” which Simbdea has organized in 2008 for the Ministry of Culture, is an example of Simbdea’s national network at work: more than 370 museums all over the country took part in this initiative that was entirely dedicated to museums and intangible heritage.
For a more detailed list of Simbdea's activities, we have attached a brief curriculum to our application.
Cooperation:
The Organization’s activities are deeply rooted in the Italian local context, although many activities have also been carried out in partnership or in collaboration with national organizations and institutions (Italian Ministry of Heritage, Icom –Italy). Simbdea has collaborated with local administrations and communities in a number of projects, and works in the direction of putting communities at the centre of research and to involve them at many levels in the activities linked to the everyday life of ethnographic museums. Museums become thus the physical place where tangible elements of the local cultures are stored and displayed, and communities can meet. Putting communities in connection with their heritage through museums, but also archives, is the main aim of all events organized in museums that are in Simbdea’s direct and indirect network. Therefore, all activities organized by the Organization’s members in the museums they work in or with, like exhibitions, presentations of publications about local heritage, concerts of traditional music, research campaigns, reinforce continuously the relationship between people and their territory, enhancing their sense of being a community.
Simbdea has participated and organized a large number of activities in this direction: the most recent project we are promoting is centred on rural Tuscany and sharecropping culture , the “year of the Mezzadro (sharecropper)” .
In collaboration with the Region Tuscany and in partnership with local organizations, Simbdea is working on planning a whole year of events/exhibitions/meetings dedicated to the promotion of knowledge of the rural heritage of Tuscany tied to the sharecropping system, values and culture. A large digitization project of sound and audiovisual archives containing information on all supports about rural culture in Tuscany, is currently being planned and will be intertwined with all the initiatives in order to promote culture through preservation practices. In this project, the communities are represented by all museums, archives (public and private) local organizations who will participate and are planning joint initiatives with Simbdea for 2009.

Year of creation: 1867
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
- traditional craftsmanship

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- revitalization

Main countries where active:

Italy

Objectives:
La Société Géographique Italienne n’a pas de but lucratif ; elle a exclusivement une finalité de solidarité sociale. Son objectif est le progrès des sciences et des connaissances géographiques et pour cela la SGI:
a) favorise le progrès des études géographiques en particulier la connaissance du territoire, du paysage et de l’environnement, et la sauvegarde de ce patrimoine. Entre autres, elle promeut la diffusion en Italie d’une culture géographique en étant elle-même initiatrice, dans ce but, de réunions publiques, conférences, excursions, voyages d’études, projections, colloques, tables rondes, etc.
b) promeut et favorise toutes études concernant la connaissance du territoire national et des autres régions de la Terre, en particulier celles où les rapports économiques, culturels et politiques sont, ou pourrons devenir, plus étroits avec l’Italie ou l’Europe.
c) Elargit les fonds de la bibliothèque et de la cartothèque pour y rassembler et conserver les principaux parmi les périodiques et les publications de caractère ou d’intérêt géographique, en réalisant un service de documentation scientifique dans le domaine de la géographie et de la cartographie.
d) Publie et distribue à ses associés un Bulletin comprenant des écrits originaux et des informations complètes en matière de faits et publications qui intéressent le progrès de la géographie et des connaissances géographiques ; la SGI peut aussi publier des monographies comme des mémoires scientifiques, des journaux de voyage et de mission, etc. ;
e) Entretient des relations avec les autres Sociétés Géographiques, avec d’autres entités culturelles nationales et internationales, avec des organismes de recherches de l’Administration publique et particulièrement avec ceux qui poursuivent des buts scientifiques dans le domaine de la géographie, comme l’Institut Géographique Militaire, l’Institut Hydrographique de la Marine, etc., avec lesquels la SGI pourrait avoir des rapports de collaboration et coordonner son activité par des accords spécifiques.
f) Confère des titres de mérite. Toute activité différente de celles qui caractérisent les ONLUS est interdite.
Activities:
Institution sous la tutelle du Ministère du Patrimoine (Ministero dei Beni culturali) et d’autres organisme institutionnels,
La Société Géographique Italienne (SGI) a comme mission, la production d’une culture géographique dans sa signification la plus étendue. Cela devient encore plus important lorsqu’il s’agit de produire de la culture en utilisant et valorisant les documents rares, sinon uniques, conservés dans ses archives (cartothèque, photothèque et bibliothèque).
Les activités de la SGI sont, donc, nombreuses et très diversifiées, mais toujours concernant le « territoire » ou la géographie d’une manière plus générale : environnement, patrimoine culturel matériel et immatériel, cultures et traditions populaires, anthropologie, artisanats, oeno-gastronomie, etc.
Comme l’affirme son Statut, l’objectif principal de la SGI est le progrès des connaissances géographiques, soit du point de vue de l’approfondissement, de la mise à jour et de l’innovation, soit du point de vue de la diffusion de la culture géographique et de la conscience environnementale.
Le patrimoine conservé dans le siège de la SGI est mis à la disposition du grand public et représente en soi une première action de divulgation de la connaissance géographique. Avec ses 300.000 volumes, la Bibliothèque de la SGI représente une des collections spécialisées parmi les plus importantes d’Italie et dans le monde entier. A cela s’ajoute la cartothèque avec plus de 50.000 pièces modernes et des centaines de pièces allant di XIVème au XIXème siècle, avec les deux fonds, le Fondo Antico de la Bibliothèque et le Fondo Orientale, une précieuse récolte de cartes chinoises et japonaises.
Toujours dans le but de la diffusion des connaissances géographiques, la SGI organise des rencontres publiques (colloques, séminaires, tables rondes, cors de formation continue et initiale, conférences, présentations de publication, etc.). La SGI travailleavec beaucoup d’autres associations et son siège prestigieux héberge nombreusesinitiatives organisées par d’autres institutions proches des disciplines géographiques.
Une initiative « diplomatique » de grande envergure a été celle fonder une SociétéGéographique Européenne, EUGEO, avec les association géographique d’autres paysde l’Union Européenne et dont le siège officiel est à Rome, dans le Palais Mattei. Cemême siège héberge aussi la « maison de Géographie », siège du secrétariatpermanent de l’Union Géographique international, organisme international déjà reconnu
par l’ONU et l’UNESCO. Les réseaux des connaissances, contacts, initiatives culturelles est désormais planétaire et la SGI en est le point de référence international. La diffusion de la connaissance géographique envers un public le plus étendu se fait aussi par l’activité éditoriale de la SGI. La doyenne des revues italiennes de géographie (une des plus anciennes au monde) est le « Bollettino della Società geografica italiana », né à la fin du 1868 et qui contient informations géographique de niveau mondial. Avec cette publication périodique, nous devons citer une collection de monographies scientifiques, « Le Memorie della Società Geografica Italiana », à laquelle nous devons ajouter nombreuses monographie hors collection. Le but de ces publications est de répandre les résultats de la géographie scientifique italienne et internationale et permettre une confrontation parmi les spécialistes et les chercheurs.
Nous pouvons conclure en rappelant toutes les activités d’étude, recherche, information, coopération que la SGI exécute et gère sur le terrain dont la liste, même partielle, serait trop longue.
Cooperation:
Parmi les nombreuses expériences de coopération en cours, nous en signalons ci contre les principales :
1. projet de restructuration et réorganisation d’une école et d’un centre sur la biodiversité en Ethiopie (plateau d’Ankober) ;
2. coopération internationale sur des thématiques sociogéographiques pour le territoire de l’Havane;
3. Accord cadre avec le Cercle des Affaires étrangers pour la divulgation des activités de coopération de la SGI;
4. Accord Cadre avec le Ministère des affaires étrangères pour des activités générales sur des thèmes de coopération et exchanges culturels;
5. Accord Cadre avec le Ministère des biens culturels pour des activités de coopération concernant le patrimoine culturel matériel et immatériel;
6. Accord Cadre avec la Région Latium, avec l’adjoint à l’environnement et coopération entre les peuples, pour des activités de coopération;
7. Accord Cadre avec ENEA (agence nationale pour l’énergie et l’environnement) ;
8. Accord Cadre avec le Ministère de l’éducation national, l’Université et la Recherche;
9. Participation à plusieurs programmes communautaires sur des thèmes de la coopération internationale.

Year of creation: 1962
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- performing arts
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
- traditional craftsmanship

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- revitalization

Main countries where active:

Italy

Objectives:
UNPLI with 5.500 Pro Loco associations registered (the frist Pro Loco was born in 1881), is the only national landmark of these associations with about 600.000 members.

(art. no. 2 - UNPLI's Statute)
UNPLI is a no-profit association and can exercicse any activity or provide itself with any structure to realize its purposes in range of cultural, environmental,t ourist, ecological, natural, social, and in range of solidarity, voluntary work, and youth policy according to European Community's advices.

UNPLI with its central national structure:
a. ccordinates all its peripherals structures;
b. implements all of the enterprise for Italy's promotion and development in every department, including information and tourism welcome.

UNPLI in its central structure, within its peripherals structures realizes:
a. coordination for all of Pro Loco's activities;
b. representation of Pro Loco towards State institution and all of the associations working on an international, national, regional, provincial and municipal level;
c. protection of Pro Loco's interests;
d. information, consultancy, technical support for Pro Loco associations also with its proper communication and information media.

UNPLI is composed by regional and provincial Committees. It's headed by a National Council composed by 30 components representing Pro Loco from every Italian region. Pro Loco associated to UNPLI can manage club for its members.
Members can join Prol Loco through UNPLI card, a card which also let owners have some important national and regional conventions. UNPLI and Pro Loco's governing board, thanks to specific training projects financed by Department for work and pensions, have a constant support which is very important for the increase of this movement.

UNPLI is the second italian asociation for the number of volunteers management. Every year more than 1000 volunteers work in Pro loco's associations carrying out projects about territory promotion and the immaterial cultural legacy protection.

UNPLI works for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage with many national projects. UNPLI cooperates with schools, local authorities, educational and reserach organizations in order to build a network of good practices in the safeguarding of Italian Intangible cultural heritage. UNPLI is the italian association of more than 5.500 Pro loco (latin, meaning "for the place") associations. Many Italian towns and small cities have a Pro loco, a civic membership organization, that works with local authority, schools, university and tourism officials to devise ways to enhance the town and attract visitors. Since the birth of first Pro loco in 1881, this kind of associations also worked for the safeguarding and promotion of the cultural aspects linked to the town or the entire region. The safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage is tightly linked to UNPLI's objectives. Pro loco associations are well distributed on the whole italian districts where there are still many living traditions and often they are the safeguarding and the sustainable promotion of the cultural aspects of these towns.

Every year UNPLI organizes training courses for the volounteers of the Pro Loco associations in order to improve their capacity of management.
Activities:
UNPLI departments
Young policy and school - Mr Angelo Lazzari
Information technology and legal assistance - Mr Mauro giannarelli
Cutlure and territory - Mr Fernando Tomasello
Organization, programming, SIAE - Mario Barone
Social Clubs, marketing and conventions - Mr Sebastiano Sechi
Civil Service and training - Mr Mario Perroti
Library of Civitella d'Agliano - Mr Marco Pacella
Publishing, Information, Europe - Mr Claudio Nardocci
The President is Claudio Nardocci.
Secretariat: Mrs Francesca Faviere - Mrs Edi Florian - Mr Valerio Bruni
Project manager: Mr Gabriele Desiderio
Collaborators: Mr Riccardo Ponzi - Mrs Laura De Meis - Mr Luca Caroselli - Mrs Alessandra Alpini.

The staff that works on the intangible cultural heritage is leaded by Gabriele Desiderio, with a degree in contemporary history at "La Sapeinza" in Rome. He's the responsable of the projects on the intangible cultural heritage. He worked with many anthropologists in order to go in to more depth in the knowledge of the cultural heritage. He has a great experience for working on field with many visits in all the italian regions. Luca Caroselli and Riccardo Ponzi are technicians with more than 4 years of experience in filming, photograpy and editing images.

In the last 7 years, UNPLI worked for the safeguarding of intangible heritage with different national projects("Aperto per Ferie" and "Sos Patrimonio Culturale Immateriale". the last project of UNPLI is "Abbraccia l'Italia" under the sponsorship of the Italian National Commission of UNESCO, which objectives are: safeguarding the italian intangible cultural heritage; ensuring respect for the intangible cultural heritage of the communities, groups and individuals ooncerned; raising awareness at the local, national and international levels of the importance of the intangible cultural heritage. UNPLI founded a unique Library in Italy (Bibliomediateca di Civitella d'Agliano) in which is collecting documents (book, dvd, cd, etc.) and interviews about the italian intangible cultural heritage. The personnel is composed by 8 persons. The projects are followed by a staff
composed by 4 person that make the following activities:
a. In according with the regional committee, select the italian localities (at least one for each region)
b. the staff visits the localities in order to: make to intangible cultural aspects of the territory; take pictures of the people, of the tools and the manufactured products; collect all the material (book, cd, dvd) produced by the inhabitants on their own cultural heritage (rites, traditions, events, songs, proverbs, legends)
c. the staff cooperates with the local schools in order to promote researches about the local traditions
d. make aware the local authorities about the great importance of the intangible cultural heritage and promote.

UNPLI created an on-line database where is cillecting interviews and documents about all the domains of the italian intangible cultural heritage. The link is the following http://www.youtube.com/user/ProgettiUNPLI. The website of the project is: www.abbraccialitalia.it
Cooperation:
The national federation of 5.500 Pro Loco associations is a great resource for the collection and the safeguarding of the italian cultural intangible heritage.

UNPLI makes coordination between the Pro Loco activities for the safeguarding of the intangible heritage and promote the networking and the exchange of best practices beetween the localities involved in the national project activites.

The field in which UNPLI is working are the identification, documentation, research, preservation, protection, promotion and transmission through formal and non-formal education (as indicated in the Convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage) especially for traditional musics (popular and religious), knowledge about nature and universe (with farmer and people living in peripheral communities), traditional medicine, handcrafts and languages.

UNPLI works closely with local cultures because Pro Loco associations are well ramificated on the whole national territory.

UNPLI is ccoperationg also with Universities, municipalities and local authority in order to raise awareness of the importance of the intangible cutlural heritage. UNPLI always worked in a spirit of mutual respect with communities, groups and individual. the reason of this way of working is due to the nature of Pro Loco associations that are expression the local communities. In every town where Pro Loco exists all the population
is involved in the organization of events or rites. UNPLI improve and support the Pro Loco activity for the promoting and safeguarding of rites, traditions, events and handicraft through its national projects. Every Pro Loco involved in these national projects are invited to cooperate with the loca lauthorities and the other associations of the territory and to involve the individuals in their activities. UNPLI aims to share the questions from its research on intangible cultural heritage management and policy implementation thus making its experience available for the development of pioneering porjects.