Stati Generali del Paesaggio: report from the two-day conference in Rome

Over forty sector professionals gathered at Palazzo Altemps in Rome on October 25–26 for the Stati Generali del Paesaggio, organized under the auspices of Mibact. The event aimed to provide an overview of the economic, legislative, and cultural state of the Italian landscape. President Sergio Mattarella sent a message to Minister Dario Franceschini, emphasizing that the Constitution enshrines landscape protection among its fundamental principles and that landscape is the result of a historical process where nature and humanity have left their mark. He called for urgent preservation and restoration of balances. Minister Franceschini highlighted the renewed centrality of peripheral areas, stating that the challenge of the century involves not only redevelopment but also integration, coexistence, and demographic development. Fabrizio Barca, Advisor for Public Function, stressed the need to bridge the gap between those who access urban beauty and those who face squalor, advocating for shared activities with local populations to create identity bonds. The conference also addressed sustainability and education, calling for investment in territorial diversity, traditional crafts, and repopulation of rural areas. Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni concluded that landscape is where nature and history meet, forming Italian identity, and warned against opposing dangerous identities with a lack of identity, urging the strength of rooted identities.