By Anna Higueras, Head of Projects, and Elsa Boloix, Project Communication Manager.

(Originally published in English)

The HeritACT project will test the toolkit and solutions for a better communication and participation in cultural heritage in three demo-site: Milan (IT), Ballina (IR) and Elefsina (GR). In this sense, the Italian pilot brings together the past and the future of heritage to establish ecological practices and collaborative design installations through a traditional rural way of living estates called cascine.

The current layout of the city of Milan is largely based on former rural partitions and water infrastructure. Cores of the overall land management were these agricultural estates mentioned above called “cascine”, where each cascina was a self-sustained community managing territorial relations and local ecosystems. Existing urban cascine evolved in very diverse ways from different backgrounds and initiatives, and nowadays they act as a link between central and peripheral areas, urban space and agriculturally driven countryside. As part of the HeritACT project, the Milan pilot will interact with the system of cascine as living historic heritage and cultural engines located in key peripheral districts that have now been enclosed in urbanized areas.

Milan’s pilot will be characterized by:

i) presence of significant historical heritage in relation to public open spaces,

ii) established social connections with specific target groups and local communities through citizens and/or non-profit organizations,

iii) engagement in educational, cultural and ecological practices with local stakeholders.

The Italian partners went for a visit at Cascina Linterno

Cascina Linterno is an old farmhouse in the West of Milan, enclosed in a wide periurban park, an ancient farmhouse from the XI century protected since 1999 by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage. This historical monument was saved from urban sprawl thanks to the engagement of a farmer and some local association. Linterno is a place where nature, history and culture meet: sustainable agriculture, beekeeping, environmental education and cultural events are some of the activities that keep this place alive.

Main aspects of the Milan pilot, explained

The Milan Pilot aims to strengthen the ecosystem of people and cultural initiatives orbiting around each of the cascine involved, by establishing ecological practices and collaborative design installations as applications of NEB principles in the specific context of urban cultural landscapes. The communities of the selected cascine will be engaged through the different participatory phases leveraging established partnerships and successful experiences. In each phase the specific vocation of each site and stakeholder ecosystem will be co-identified with HeritACT tools and actualized through the appropriate solution from the HeritACT portfolio.