Italia Nostra (''Our Italy'') is an Italian

not for profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of the country’s historical, artistic and environmental patrimony.

History

The organization was formed on 29 October 1955, by

Umberto Zanotti Bianco Umberto Zanotti Bianco (22 January 1889 – 28 August 1963) was an Italian historian social activist. He was once President of the Italian Red Cross. Career In 1920, Umberto Zanotti Bianco founded the Società Magna Grecia. In 1955, he co-foun ...

, Pietro Paolo Trompeo,

Giorgio Bassani Giorgio Bassani (4 March 1916 – 13 April 2000) was an Italian novelist, poet, essayist, editor, and international intellectual. Biography Bassani was born in Bologna into a prosperous Jewish family of Ferrara, where he spent his childhood wit ...

, Desideria Pasolini dall'Onda, Elena Croce, Luigi Magnani,

Hubert Howard Hubert John Edward Dominic Howard (23 December 1907 – 17 February 1987) was an English intelligence officer who lived in Italy. Early life Howard was born in Washington, D.C. on 23 December 1907. He was educated at the Downside School in Somerse ...

, and Antonio Cederna, a small group of people drawn from the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

intelligentsia with the specific aim of opposing the projected demolition of part of the city’s historic centre. The promotion of an approach to

urban planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...

which preserves sites of historic architecture has remained a focus of the movement; however its interests have expanded over time to include the preservation of all aspects of Italy’s cultural and environmental heritage, and more than 200 branches have been established across the country. Successes have included the campaign that led to the establishment of the

Appian Way Regional Park The Appian Way Regional Park is the second-largest urban park of Europe, after Losiny Ostrov National Park in Moscow. It is a protected area of around 4580 hectares, established by the Italian region of Latium. It falls primarily within t ...

in 1988. In 1989, Italia Nostra opposed the restitution of the Venus of Cyrene to Libya. The same year, after a

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

concert in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

that caused partial historic site deterioration in the city, the Italia Nostra filed a complaint against the city's officials for misconduct and corruption. In 1999, after workers unearthed an ancient Roman villa wall while building the foundations of a new parking lot in the Vatican (nicknamed "God's parking lot"), the Italia Nostra lobbied to stop the construction project. In July 2009, the Italia Nostra gave up on the management of the Parco delle Cave in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

for political reasons. In 2011, the Italia Nostra raised the alarm on Venice's 59,000 daily tourists, reminding the press that the daily tourists limit in the city was set to 33,000 since a 1988 study. The organization has been a long-time opponent of large cruise ships sailing through Venice's lagoon. In May 2019, The Italian Association of Environmental Excursion Guides and Italia Nostra inked a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a common strategic collaboration to protect and describe the Italian patrimonial heritage. In July 2019, the Italia Nostra asked

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

to include Venice and its laguna in the

list of World Heritage in Danger The List of World Heritage in Danger is compiled by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) through the World Heritage Committee according to Article 11.4 of the World Heritage Convention,Full title: ''Conv ...

. In October 2019, the Italia Nostra opposed the temporary transfer of the ''

Vitruvian Man The ''Vitruvian Man'' ( it, L'uomo vitruviano; ) is a drawing by the Italian Renaissance artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci, dated to . Inspired by the writings by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius, the drawing depicts a nude man in two s ...

'' from the

Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia The is a public tertiary academy of art in Venice, Italy. History The Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia was founded on 24 September 1750; the statute dates from 1756. The first director was Giovanni Battista Piazzetta; Gianbattista Tiepolo ...

to the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

in Paris.

Presidents

* 1965–1980:

* 1998–2005: Desideria Pasolini dall'OndaE' morta Desideria Pasolini dall'Onda, la fondatrice di Italia Nostra
/ref> * Carlo Ripa di Meana * Giovanni Losavio * ...–May 2017: Marco Parini * May 2017–September 2018: Oreste Rutigliano * September 2018 – 2020: Mariarita Signorini * Since 2020: Ebe Giacometti

References

External links

* * Organizations established in 1955 Nature conservation in Italy Environmental organisations based in Italy Cultural organisations based in Italy 1955 establishments in Italy Historic sites in Italy {{Italy-org-stub

History

Presidents

See also

References

External links