FAI Launches 13th Edition of 'I Luoghi del Cuore' Census for Endangered Italian Heritage

The Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano (FAI) has launched the 13th edition of its 'I Luoghi del Cuore' census, a biennial initiative that invites Italians to vote for endangered cultural heritage sites. Since 2003, over 13.5 million votes have been cast, with the 2024 edition alone receiving more than 2.3 million votes for over 41,000 sites across 6,508 municipalities. The program has supported 180 restoration projects, 40% of which involve churches, followed by environmental, architectural, and archaeological assets (3%). FAI President Marco Magnifico highlighted three 'miraculous resurrections': the Church of San Pietro dei Samari in Gallipoli (soon to reopen), the Oratorio del Sasso in Orasso (Verbano Cusio Ossola), and the Complesso di Sant'Angelo Magno in Ascoli Piceno. These successes inspired projects like the recovery of churches in Naples led by Don Antonio Loffredo. The census is supported by Intesa Sanpaolo, which has contributed €65 million over two decades. In 2026, the bank will provide €600,000 for restoration projects, with prizes of €70,000, €60,000, and €50,000 for the top three voted sites. After the final ranking in 2027, a call for proposals will offer up to €50,000 for sites receiving at least 3,000 votes (raised from 2,500). The census is open until December 15, 2026, and is accompanied by a new video-podcast series 'I luoghi che leggiamo' hosted by Marta Stella with students from IULM University, featuring 10 Italian writers.