Page 56 - World Heritage and Tourism Innovation

Raffaela Gabriella Rizzo An intangible cultural heritage asset

The manufacture of string instruments in Cremo- in Cremona and giving them a sense of iden-
na has continued – with alternating fortunes – to the tity.
present day. After a notable crisis before the Second R.2: Given the high degree of skills and manual
World War in which “companies in the sector were inventiveness of the internationally known
reduced to nil”, from the 1960s and ‘70s, it picked up traditional violin craftsmanship, its inscrip-
again and has now become decidedly established as a
specialist district - a leader in its field anywhere in the tion on the Representative List could testify
world - and with a high concentration of producers to human creativity, while contributing to
(Antoldi, Macconi et al., 2017, pp. 330–335). One can intercultural dialogue and to the visibility of
attribute a place-making role to violin-making and the intangible cultural heritage as a whole.
its associated associations and institutions (Caruso, R.3: Past and current efforts to safeguard the
2014). Qiu generally states: “From performing arts, craftsmanship enjoy the participation and
festive events, rituals, traditional craftsmanship, oral support of diverse stakeholders including
traditions and knowledge of practices, ICH provides the municipality and national government,
place-making tools to improve places’ aesthetics and local institutions as well as violin-makers’
attract tourists. It contributes to an understanding
and enrichment of local history, identity, and ecolo- workshops and associations.
gy” (Qiu et al., 2022, p. 15). The whole city identifies R.4: Violin-makers and their associations, to-
itself with the production of stringed instruments and gether with local institutions and representa-
music. The city is presented, in the context of the #in- tives of the town of Cremona, participated in
LombardiaComeMe campaign devised by the Region the nomination process and gave their free,
of Lombardy, as Cremona è musica (Cremona is Mu- prior and informed consent.
sic); this is not a claim linked solely to the city’s tradi- R.5: The element is included in the national in-
tion of violin making; Cremona is music everywhere, ventory of cultural heritage maintained
in the ateliers of the craftsmen, in the kitchens of the by the Ministry of Cultural Properties and
restaurants, in the streets, on “our” River Po.
Everything about Cremona is music; all you have Activities; the Archive of Ethnography and
to do is come and discover it in person. (Comune di Social History of Lombardy Region also in-
Cremona, n.d) in this regard, watch the eight short cluded the element in its Register of Intangi-
videos of the promotional campaign on the website ble Heritage of Lombardy Region” (UNESCO
cited above). Intangible Cultural Heritage, n.d.-b).
The reasons discussed above bear witness to the
fact that the proposal to UNESCO to insert violin-mak- Methods and Object of the Research
ing savoir-faire in the list of intangible assets was able The study was conducted by examining and carefully
to satisfy the Convention’s five criteria, as shown be- reading existing primary and secondary sources, both
low: desktop and online. This methodology was then im-
Decides that, from the information provided in file plemented using a qualitative investigation, with open
00719, the nomination satisfies the criteria for inscrip- interviews with privileged territorial actors: luthiers,
tion on Representative List, as follows:
R.1: Traditional craftsmanship for violin-mak- teachers, representatives of city institutions, repre-
ing has been transmitted from generation sentatives of musical associations and organisations,
to generation, both through apprenticeship etc. The common denominator of these interviews
and through formal education, playing an was the initial two-part question (identical for all
important role in the everyday life of people stakeholders):

52 | Proceedings of the 7th UNESCO UNITWIN Conference