Page 64 - World Heritage and Tourism Innovation

Raffaela Gabriella Rizzo An intangible cultural heritage asset

for their activity, to begin the phase of so-called “ca- (musicologists and ethnomusicologists); violin mak-
pacity building”. These sessions represent, in fact, the ers (in particular the dozen or so out of 150 who are
basis for the subsequent creation of measures that prepared to give guided tours of their workshops); di-
will be inserted in the planning for managing the vi- rectors of the Cremona Fair; tourist guides; specialist
olin-making heritage as a “heritage that is living and publishers in the musical/violin making field; and mu-
therefore – of necessity – ever-changing” and also sicians/orchestra members. The question was asked to
“an expertise rooted in the local context, which has these territorial actors rather than tourists because of
at the same time a global scope” (Ana Luiza Massot the characteristics of the historical period in which
Thompson-Flores, director of the UNESCO Regional the study was conducted. A common denominator
Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, in Museo in all the interviews was the assertion that there is no
del Violino, 2021). From the voices of the luthiers, also awareness of the tourists regarding the ‘UNESCO im-
confirmed by the questionnaire given to them volun- material element of violin-making savoir-faire’ when
tarily, it emerges that they sense the need to promote they visit the city of Cremona and its iconic locations
their professionalism/activity combined with that of (e.g., the Violin Museum, violin makers’ workshops,
UNESCO in an action that is synergic and shared with Ponchielli Theatre, etc.). Three declarations appear to
the various institutions of Cremona. be symbolic and worthy of being quoted:
“Tourists do not know about our UNESCO
Awareness About the UNESCO ICH Element membership” (all the stakeholders inter-
for Tourists and Day Visitors viewed);
The second question in this research regards the tour-
ists and day visitors’ awareness of the ICH element un- “The average tourist does not know the intan-
der investigation. Of interest – and before the study gible heritage value of Cremona, and the luth-
conducted by the author – is the survey carried out iers’ workshops are not perceived as tourist
by Cremona’s municipal Infopoint office in 2021 on a places” (tourist guide);
sample of 4,000 tourists, from which it emerges that “Cremona has always been perceived as the
“69% of the tourists interviewed declared that the city of violin music; UNESCO came later, and it
principal motive for their visit to Cremona was “art, is not in the tourist’s mind” (words of the luthi-
culture and related events”, followed by “food and er who carries out the most significant number
wine and related events” (28%)” (Province of Crem- of guided tours).
ona-Office of Statistics, 2021, p. 40). Such a decision
on the part of the tourist suggests that Cremona is a Conclusive Remarks
destination for cultural tourism tout court and, within To understand the role and the attractive/competitive/
this, for music-based tourism. The promotional choic- complementary importance of a small city like Crem-
es made by the institutional subject, the Municipality ona, one must remember that the urban cultural tour-
of Cremona, bear witness to the result of this survey. ism available in Italia is highly subdivided. Apart from
Taking her cue from this consideration, the author the “classic”, overly-frequented tourist destinations
sought to comprehend the relationship between the of Florence, Venice and Rome, even if one considers
tourist and the ICH of Cremona’s violin, making sa- only Northern Italy (Turri, 2000) – apart from the me-
voir-faire. She, therefore, asked the question, “Is the tropolises of Milan and Turin – many small and me-
tourist and day visitor who goes to Cremona aware dium-sized cities contain inestimable cultural heritag-
that they are visiting one of UNESCO’s immaterial el- es: the Italy of the “intermediary cities” of Giuseppe
ements?” in open interviews with some twenty stake- De Rita (2022). These are now all “open” for musical
holders: officials of the UNESCO Office in the Munici- entertainment. From the numerous medium-sized
pality of Cremona and those responsible for the city’s towns, one passes to the minor centres (Touring Club
promotion/tourist information; university lecturers Italiano, 1983) and then to the so-called Borghi, where

60 | Proceedings of the 7th UNESCO UNITWIN Conference