Cultural heritage: a challenge for contemporary education.

Abstract

The Cultural heritage, both material and immaterial, is a key territorial asset for all societies, especially in our contemporary era. It is a "place" full of meanings that are not always fully accessible and prompts interpretations and actions that are not always universally shared. Still today, it is persistently and widely believed that to engage with cultural heritage, it is essential to have a guide to suggest the best cultural content and the most appropriate ways to approach it. Thus, our personal and collective relationships with heritage are inevitably mediated by others, with the interpretative voice presented to us as a given, while divergent perspectives are not taken into account. The specific focus of this paper is a series of research and study initiatives implemented from 2016 to date, at a range of sites across Lombardy (Italy): Bergamo, Isola Comacina, Villa Carlotta, Mantua, Sabbioneta, and the district of Milan where the Bicocca University is located. Over time, the cumulative outcomes of this work have reinforced the researchers' awareness of the importance of involving the public, communities, and the various heritage specialists at all stages of the projects and the key role of listening, observation, and documentation in fostering deep-rooted and meaningful trajectories rather than “once-off” experiences.