Romualdo Del Bianco Foundation


The Romualdo Del Bianco Foundation is an Italian non-profit organization established in Florence, Italy, on November 3, 1998 by Paolo Del Bianco - who entitled the Foundation to his father Romualdo. The Foundation is funded privately by Paolo Del Bianco. The Foundation promotes tourism awareness and dialogue between cultures. At the moment, the Foundation network counts over 450 academic institutions and universities in 60 countries in 5 continents.

History

The Foundation originates from the VivaFirenze project, launched in 1994 by the hotel company Vivahotels. The project was intended to make the guests of the hotel company's more sensitive to the cultural heritage of the city of Florence, Italy. The project was also intended to promote contacts between young people of different cultures, in particular from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, through training and educational projects. The success of these initiatives and the first network of international contacts led Paolo Del Bianco to establish, in 1998, the Romualdo Del Bianco Foundation.

Mission and activity

The Foundation's priority is to promote intercultural dialogue and attentiveness to the importance of cultural heritage. According to statute, the Foundation aims to promote, disseminate and preserve the cultural, artistic, historical and scientific cultural heritage. Moreover, the Foundation aim is to encourage exchanges among young exponents of culture, arts and sciences as well promoting mutual knowledge, understanding, friendship and peace between countries and peoples of different nationalities, religion and ethnicity. The Foundation organizes exhibitions, concerts, competitions, promotes mobility and meetings between young people from different cultures, is funding restoration of cultural heritage.
Each year about 700 people – students and teachers - participate into the cultural activities and training of the Foundation. The network has expanded to 59 countries and counts over 300 universities, among which 87 faculties of architecture, 84 faculties of arts and humanities, 70 faculties of engineering, 35 faculties of economics. The network structure is based on committees of national experts who follow and promote the activities of the foundation. The Foundation has signed 158 cooperation agreements with universities and local governments.
In brief, the Foundation's activities till today consisted in:
In 2000, in Kraków, the Foundation developed its Manifesto. At the same time the Foundation was invited to present its activities at the Conference "Cultural Heritage in the 21st Century - Opportunities and Threats"”. The conference was the starting point of the Foundation's contacts with ICCROM, with the International Council on Monuments and Sites, ICOMOS and in particular with the ICOMOS international Committee Theory and Philosophy of Conservation and Restoration, headed by Andrzej Tomaszewski. For the activities in the field of conservation of cultural heritage, the Foundation received many national and international recognition.

Restorations promoted

The Foundation promoted the restoration of many masterpieces, among which
In March 2008, the Foundation launched a new orientation called Life Beyond Tourism, with the aim of bringing together the tourist experience with the knowledge and appreciation of cultural diversity. The aim is to stimulate the attention of tourists, who spreads with their journey and their experience, the knowledge and the cultural heritage of the places visited.

Main awards and acknowledgements