PARIS, OCTOBER 31 – On World Cities Day, Bolzano and other 54 cities joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), following their designation by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. New cities were acknowledged for their strong commitment to harnessing culture and creativity as part of their development strategies, and displaying innovative practices in human-centred urban planning. With the latest additions, the Network now counts 350 cities in more than one hundred countries, representing seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts and Music. Bolzano becomes the 14th Italian city in the Network.
“For Bolzano, a city that serves as a bridge between the north and south at the heart of Europe, music has been the language of interaction among the diverse cultures inhabiting this borderland since the late 19th century,” Mayor Renzo Caramaschi said: “The Monteverdi Conservatory has contributed to building the city’s reputation as a musical excellence. The residence of youth orchestras, such as the European Union Youth Orchestra, the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, the Gustav Mahler Academy of Advanced Musical Studies, the Haydn Orchestra, established in 1960 as a regional reference point, and the Busoni Piano Competition, recognized as one of the most prestigious international competitions since 1949, have certainly left a positive impression on the international committee that selected Bolzano as one of the World Cities of Music.”
Bolzano is the only Italian city designated today in Paris and is now included in the list of the Italian UNESCO Creative Cities, which includes: Biella, Carrara, Fabriano, and Como for craftsmanship, Alba, Bergamo, and Parma for gastronomy, Bologna and Pesaro for music, Rome for cinema, Turin for design, Milan for literature, and Modena for media arts. (@OnuItalia)
