Emilia-Romagna pushes for UNESCO intangible heritage status for 'Liscio' dance

The Emilia-Romagna region has launched a campaign to have 'Liscio', a traditional folk dance and music genre, recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. The initiative, called 'Vai Liscio', invites citizens to contribute photos, videos, documents, and stories via the website www.vailiscio.it. Regional culture assessor Mauro Felicori emphasized that the project aims to reconstruct the history of Liscio and highlight its living tradition, describing it as a strong identity value that fosters community and sharing. The regional legislative assembly noted in March that local traditions connected to Liscio are authentic popular matrices of profound transformations in Emilia-Romagna. UNESCO's intangible heritage category, established in 2003, includes performing arts, social practices, rituals, and traditional craftsmanship passed down through generations. Italy currently has 16 intangible heritage items, including Sicilian puppets, Sardinian tenor singing, Cremona violin craftsmanship, Mediterranean diet, and Neapolitan pizza-making. The Liscio candidacy will be submitted to the Italian Ministry of Culture, which will forward it to UNESCO. The region has partnered with local authorities and operators to support the proposal.