PROCULTHER-NET 2: Course on Protecting Cultural Heritage at risk Concludes in Caserta
64 Experts Representing 23 Union Civil Protection Mechanism Countries joined the training
The PCH (Protecting Cultural Heritage) course, conducted as part of PROCULTHER-NET 2, the European project on safeguarding cultural heritage in emergencies coordinated by the Italian Civil Protection Department and co-financed by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG-ECHO), concluded today in Caserta.
The course, proposed in two editions from 16 to 20 June and from 22 to 26 September to allow the widest participation from UCPM countries, was attended by 64 experts belonging to both the cultural heritage and risk management fields, representing 23 Union Civil Protection Mechanism countries. The course program is based on the PROCULTHER Methodology, the manual developed thanks to the shared experiences of the other partners in the initiative: the disaster management and cultural heritage authorities of France, Germany, Spain, and Türkiye, together with the Suor Orsola Benincasa University and the University of Porto-U.PORTO (Portugal), and the Hallgarten Foundation - Franchetti Centro Studi Villa Montesca- FCSVM.
The training took place at the Residential and Study Centre of the SNA - National School of Administration in Caserta, with lectures given by representatives of the Civil Protection Department, the Ministry of Culture, the National Fire and Rescue Service, the Central Institute for Restoration, the National Central Library of Florence, the Blue Shield Italy and France, UNESCO, and DG-ECHO.
For the occasion, the Royal Palace of Caserta also offered its contribution, opening its doors to the course participants for a guided tour to discover its history and cultural heritage.
In addition to theoretical sessions, the program also included hands-on workshops and field-laboratories that allowed participants, divided into teams with mixed skills, to test the technical and operational measures for securing immovable, movable, and intangible cultural heritage they learned during the training week.
The spaces of Palazzo al Boschetto, a 17th-century villa made available by the Royal Palace of Caserta, provided the setting for both a field-laboratory on protecting immovable cultural heritage at risk and a final exercise dedicated to securing movable assets in emergencies. These two important moments strengthened the team-building experience and fostered dialogue between the various professionals involved.
As in previous editions, the Protecting Cultural Heritage Course, organized within the framework of the Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network, represented a valuable opportunity for institutions and experts to engage in dialogue, expanding the international community dedicated to protecting cultural heritage at risk and strengthening national and regional capacities to address risks associated with cultural heritage management.
The achievements of the PROCULTHER-NET 2 project will also be among the topics of the conference “The Protection of Cultural Heritage from Natural Risks in the Campi Flegrei Area”, scheduled for 6 October at the Royal Palace of Caserta as part of National Civil Protection Week.