UNESCO Acknowledgements in Trentino
The extraordinary natural and cultural heritage of the province of Trento, which bears witness to the deep connection between man and the environment, is also recognised internationally. Various initiatives are promoted within the framework of UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural, Communication and Information Organisation.
Four sites are inscribed on the World Heritage lists: the Dolomites, a Natural World Heritage Site; the Prehistoric Pile-Dwelling Sites of the Alpine Arc; the Geopark Parco Adamello Brenta; and the Biosphere Reserve Alpi Ledrensi e Judicaria - from the Dolomites to Garda.
These are joined by other important initiatives: theArt of dry stone walls and Mountaineering, both Intangible Heritage; the Engineering for Human and Sustainable Development Chair and the Chair on Anticipatory Systems at the University of Trento; La Terrazza delle Stelle, a UNESCO site 'connected to the sky'; the partnership with the World Network of Water Museums; and the UNESCO Club of Trento.
Some of these recognitions are shared with other regions or countries: the Dolomites, for example, with the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia; while the Pile-Dwelling Sites are part of a network of similar monuments in various areas of northern Italy and Europe. Mountaineering and dry stone wall art are also internationally shared heritages.
Taken together, these initiatives express Trentino's commitment to protecting and enhancing a heritage that integrates nature, culture and knowledge, in a harmonious balance between continuity and sustainability.
In order to support the numerous initiatives in the territory and to foster the exchange and development of shared projects, the Autonomous Province of Trento has set up the Coordination of UNESCO-recognised sites and elements.
World Heritage Dolomites
On 26 June 2009, in Seville, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee recognised the Dolomites as a World Heritage Site for their aesthetic and landscape value as well as for their scientific importance in terms of geology and geomorphology, recognising them as 'among the most beautiful mountain landscapes in the world'.
Publication date:Friday 04 April 2025
Prehistoric pile-dwelling sites in the Alps
Among almost a thousand pile-dwelling sites discovered in the Alps, 111 have been chosen to be a Unesco Site, and among them are the Trentino sites of Ledro and Fiavè. Exceptional conservation conditions have transformed the pile dwellings into enormous archives of data on our past.
Publication date:Friday 04 April 2025
Adamello Brenta - Geopark
An extraordinary territory where two geological worlds, the Brenta Dolomites and the Adamello-Presanella group, face each other and where every type of existing rock is represented: sedimentary, metamorphic and magmatic rocks. The Adamello Brenta Nature Park (620.51 square kilometres) is the largest protected area in Trentino.
Publication date:Friday 04 April 2025
Alpi Ledrensi and Judicaria Biosphere Reserve from the Dolomites to Lake Garda
The territory of the Ledrensi Alps and the Giudicarie esteriori, which stretches between two jewels of Trentino, Lake Garda and the Brenta Dolomites (more than 3100 m of altitude difference concentrated in less than 30 km as the crow flies, in an environment rich in biodiversity and history) was awarded UNESCO Biosphere status in 2015 Alpi Ledrensi e Judicaria
Publication date:Friday 04 April 2025
Chair Engineering for Human and Sustainable Development
In 2011, the UNESCO Chair in 'Engineering for Human and Sustainable Development' was established at the University of Trento.
Publication date:Friday 04 April 2025
Chair on Anticipatory Systems
"Working with the future does not in fact mean 'predicting what will happen - fortunately, the world is always richer and more surprising than our models - as much as it means being open, ready for surprises and being prepared to handle them'.
Publication date:Friday 04 April 2025
Dry stone wall art
The art of dry stone walling, i.e. the knowledge and skill of building dry stone artefacts, common to eight European countries, was inscribed as a construction technique in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2018. This "art" consists in building by placing stones one on top of the other, without using any other materials except, in some cases, dry earth.
Publication date:Friday 04 April 2025
The Terrace of Stars, a 'UNESCO site connected to the sky'
The Terrace of Stars - at an altitude of about 1,500 metres on Monte Bondone (TN) - is a place that is well suited for observing the sky, thanks to its limited light pollution and clear, smog-free air. Here, every year since 2001, the Muse (Science Museum) with its local branch offers astronomical observation experiences to thousands of people who want to admire the sky and learn about its characteristics and secrets.
Publication date:Friday 04 April 2025
UNESCO World Network of Water Museums
Since 2023 the Autonomous Province of Trento has been an institutional partner of the "UNESCO Global Network of Water Museums" (acronym WAMU-NET). The network was born as a flagship initiative of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme, has its own seat in Trentino and includes about 60 museums and institutions from 30 different countries.
Publication date:Friday 04 April 2025
Unesco Club of Trento
On 23 October 2012, the Italian Federation of Unesco Clubs based in Florence approved the Trento Unesco Club, the first Unesco Club in the Autonomous Province of Trento and the Trentino Alto Adige Region.
Publication date:Friday 04 April 2025
Highlights
Governance
The Provincial Coordination of UNESCO Awards
There are many sites and elements in Trentino that have received recognition from Unesco, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. They range from the Dolomite groups belonging to the Unesco World Heritage Dolomites, to a number of university chairs registered in the Unesco Chairs Programme. The Provincial Council approved the establishment of a coordination to foster efficient collaboration between the various sectors of the Provincial Administration and a broader synergy between the Province and the various bodies and institutions involved, in dialogue with the relevant institutions on a national and international level.
01/10/2024