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By eTN Editor
Created 1 Dec 2015 – 1:49am
Mario Masciullo, eTN Italy Correspondent
Il Buon Pastore / Photo © Mario Masciullo
ITALY (eTN) – The Arab-Norman itinerary in Palermo, the ancient city of Ephesus in Turkey, the Blue Mountains in Jamaica, the ancient city of Susa in Iran, and the Singapore Botanic Gardens – these are some of the 27 new destinations that joined the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. The annual meeting, held in Bonn, Germany, has also extended three sites already on the list of World Heritage for a total of 1,031 “wonders” to be protected and preserved for their beauty and historical and cultural importance.
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Church of St. Mary of Mercy (XVI century) at Pescocostanzo, Abruzzi / Photo © Mario Masciullo
Italy reinforces its world record with 51 recorded sites. It follows China with 48, due to the annexation of the area of the “Tusi” tribes; Spain, with the extension of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela; and France and Germany with 41 and 40 sites.
In Palermo, Leoluca Orlando, the Mayor, does not hide his satisfaction and enthusiasm: “This award is a source of pride and a great joy for Palermo, but also for the population of Sicily. The inclusion of the Arab-Norman monuments itinerary with seven out of nine in Palermo, is the confirmation of the beauty and greatness cultural, artistic and historical part of this city, and will certainly be a driving force for tourism development and the new economy.”
The seven monuments of Palermo chosen by UNESCO are the Royal Palace with the Palatine Chapel, the church of St. John of the Hermits and Santa Maria of the church of San Cataldo, the Cathedral, the palace of Zisa, and the deck of the Admiral. The other two Sicilian monuments are the cathedrals, and their cloisters of Monreale and Cefalu.
“It’s a recognition of the history and art of the island, which can be a great opportunity for the productive excellence of the territory,” says Aurelio Angelini, Director of UNESCO Sicily. The charm and beauty of these buildings refer to a past of cultures and religions, such as Arabic, Norman, and Byzantine, which, influencing and contaminating each other, have bequeathed a message of peace and co-existence between peoples and beauty, They exalt the architectural jewels of Palermo, Monreale, and Cefalu.
Also in the Mediterranean Ephesus
In the Mediterranean, one could not miss the inclusion of Ephesus: pearl of ancient Greece on the border between Europe and Asia. This historic port city and cultural center of ancient civilization, Ephesus confirms its vocation and historical tourism which already has two million visitors every year.
UNESCO tells it this way: “The Temple of Artemis, which was considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is on the edge of this small town, which was the beginning of the Persian Royal Road and survived sufficiently to enable us to understand the ancient way of life in Ephesus. It is one of the cities that played a major role in early Christianity and during the period of its proliferation and contains one of the most spectacular examples of religious architecture of the Seljuk period.”
Middle East among the leaders
The Middle East is the main character of this round of updates of the list: Turkey sees recognized the historic fortress of Diyarbakir and gardens Hevsel. Iran gets two awards: the city of Susa, former capital of the ancient kingdom of Elam, and the cultural landscape of Maymand. Jordan was included in historic Bethany, where John the Baptist is believed to have baptized Jesus.
Outside Europe the most interesting are the architecture along the San Antonio River, in Texas, the Blue Mountains; the first Jamaican site; the sacred mountain of the Great Burkhan Khaldun, in Mongolia; and the historic botanical garden in Singapore.
Great attention was paid to areas where agricultural and industrial development have traveled hand in hand with environmental sustainability and the excellence of the territory: the hills and French wineries of Burgundy and Champagne, the port of Hamburg, the complex of industrial archeology Meiji in Japan, and Fray Bentos in Uruguay.
UNESCO and its Heritage Award is dedicated to TCU (Tourism Culture Heritage) organized – with the TRI Award (Italian Responsible Tourism) – by The Travel Agency Daily Journal; the two awards were allocated within the WTE – World Tourism Expo 2015 – at the Palazzo della Ragione in Padua.
Source: http://www.eturbonews.com/66460/italy-s-unesco-sites-driving-force-tourism
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