Annual Report 2011 - Fai

3. Supervising and intervening
“SOS Paesaggio”
3. Supervising and intervening
“I Luoghi del Cuore” and “Puntiamo i Riflettori”
THE BEATING HEART OF ITALY, REALISING WHAT IT STANDS TO LOSE
2011 was an “off” year for the biennial survey, but we were nevertheless highly involved in
monitoring more than 40 of the places that received the most votes in 2010, selected
on the basis of their historical/artistic/natural value and of their importance for
their respective local areas and for the country as a whole. In the end, with the help of
celebrated art historian Carlo Bertelli, we chose eleven places on which to intervene directly
by making a “Places I Love” contribution. In July, thanks to the survey, we inaugurated the first
restoration of a property voted for in 2010: the Piè di Marmo in Roma, the marble foot
sporting a crepida (a typical Greek sandal), so beloved of the citizens of the capital. Situated in
Via Santo Stefano del Cacco, in the heart of Rome’s historical centre, this monument received
more votes than any other in the Lazio region in 2010 during the fifth survey.
In 2011 we selected
11 sites on which to
intervene directly
with a contribution
from the “I Luoghi
del Cuore” (“Italian
Places I Love”
survey), and
our Delegations
“Puntiamo i
Riflettori” (Casting
the Spotlights) on
44 local properties.
Every month, we
evaluate forty
recommendations
and requests for
help that come
from the public,
local associations,
administrators
and public bodies
concerning cultural
assets that are
being neglected or
are at risk of being
transformed
in ways that will
have a major
environmental
impact.
GUARDIANS OF THE LAND
As the third part of our mission statement puts it, every day FAI supervises and
intervenes pro-actively across the country to defend Italy’s landscape and
cultural assets, serving as the spokesperson for the interests and expectations
of civil society. FAI performs the role of a sort of ever-present “guardian” of Italy’s natural
heritage – a role that sees us take tangible action whenever necessary, whether directly or
in the guise of an Environmental Protection Agency officially recognised by the Italian
Ministry of the Environment. It is a laborious job that is managed by our Environment and
Landscape Department in close partnership with all of the Trust’s other departments and
with the active contribution of our local network, very much in synergy with the “I Luoghi del
Cuore” (“Italian Places I Love” national survey) and with the “Puntiamo I Riflettori” (“Casting
the Spotlights” project) being run by the FAI Delegations. In 2011, the “SOS Paesaggio”
(SOS Countryside Emergency) section first appeared on the Fondoambiente.it
website; in this section you can find out in real time about FAI’s rock-solid commitment to
defending the Italian landscape. During 2011, 84 cases were published complete with
technical profiles and information sheets, enclosed with all of the applications made by FAI,
initiatives implemented by other associations/committees, links to informative material and
photographic documentation. Out of the cases published, around 20% were positively
“resolved”. Also in the course of 2011 we compiled, with the WWF, the dossier entitled
“Terra rubata. Viaggio nell’Italia che scompare. Le analisi e le proposte di
FAI e WWF sul consumo di suolo” (Stolen land – a journey through disappearing Italy.
The analyses and proposals of FAI and the WWF on soil consumption) . Once we submitted
the dossier, we were asked to attend a hearing by the Italian Senate’s Environmental
Commission. In terms of awareness-raising projects, in 2011 we came up with “Via Lattea”
(Milky Way), an event designed to promote agriculture for the home market; “Il Paesaggio
con gusto” (The Countryside with Taste), geared towards educating the public on the
importance of sustainability; and the conference entitled “Terre del Parco del Ticino. Un
nuovo modello di sviluppo territoriale” (Parco del Ticino. A new model of territorial
development). In relation to legislative activities, in 2011 we proposed amendments
to 12 pieces of legislation on both regional and national scales, and we submitted
appeals to the TAR (regional administrative court of law) on various cases including those
known as Mediapolis, Carceri Trento, Trivellazioni in Adriatico, Discariche e Commissariamento
rifiuti Regione Lazio and Provvedimento Area C.
THE INCREASING 2003 24,200
NUMBER OF
VOTES CAST IN 2004 92,468
THE “I LUOGHI
DEL CUORE”
2006 120,960
(“ITALIAN PLACES 2008 115,138
I LOVE” SURVEY)
2010 464,649
FOCUSING ATTENTION ON LOCAL JEWELS
Created in 2010, the “Puntiamo i Riflettori” (Casting the Spotlights) project has the
objective of focusing attention and energy on those local assets that have special
historical, cultural or emotional importance for the general public. To this end, each of our
Delegations concentrates on selecting a local property that is representative of the collective
identity and that has been abandoned or has become a victim of neglect but that deserves
to have its original dignity restored. As such, the Delegations endeavour to raise the funds
required to restore the property and to give it back to the wider community.
In 2011, the project extended its reach considerably to cover a total of 44 local properties;
perhaps even more importantly, it generated a great deal of enthusiasm on the part of our
Delegates, who understood the potential of this initiative to meet the expectations of those
in their local area. The total number of projects being implemented has increased at a
tremendous pace, and we have continued to work on the already active projects, in certain
cases in synergy with the “Places I Love” survey. Thanks also to the input of the Delegations, at
the end of the year we were able to announce numerous new interventions, including seven on
properties shared by the two projects.
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