NEWS AND EVENTS

European Heritage Days 2026

“Heritage at Risk: Protecting, Renewing, Reimagining”

Visit to the Romano Foundation: reinventing fragments of beauty and history

The Municipality of Florence, through the Florentine Civic Museums and the Florence World Heritage and Relations with UNESCO Office of the Department of Culture and Sports, , in collaboration with the MUS.E Foundation, is participating in the European Heritage Days 2026 – EHD (Giornate Europee del Patrimonio – GEP), one of Europe’s most widely attended cultural events, promoted by the Council of Europe and the European Commission and coordinated for Italy by the Ministry of Culture.

The theme of the 2026 edition is “Proteggere il patrimonio. Rinnovare, resistere, reinventare”, which is the Italian translation of the European theme “Heritage at Risk: Protecting, Renewing, Reimagining”: an invitation to reflect on the multiple pressures to which cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, is subjected today and on the shared responsibilities necessary to ensure its conservation, vitality, and transmission to future generations.

On this occasion, the spaces of the Salvatore Romano Foundation (Piazza Santo Spirito 29) can be visited free of charge on Saturday, September 26 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM (with last entry at 4:15 PM). Two special free guided tours lasting 45 minutes are also offered, scheduled at 2:00 PM and 3:30 PM.

The civic museum, the Salvatore Romano Foundation, is housed in the ancient Refectory of the Convent, decorated with a fresco by Andrea Orcagna depicting the Crucifixion and the Last Supper (circa 1365). Placed within the vast space are the sculptures donated to the Municipality of Florence in 1946 by Salvatore Romano, a Neapolitan antiquarian who throughout his life took a passionate interest in antique collecting, selecting above all fragments of architectural decoration and works of plastic and sculptural art from various styles and periods.

Visiting the Salvatore Romano collection means immersing oneself in a journey where collecting becomes an act of care: a way to safeguard and narrate heritage, celebrating art’s ability to resist time, renew itself, and reinvent itself for future generations.

For more details, please check the Ministry’s event sheet at the following link: https://cultura.gov.it/evento/gep2026-visita-della-fondazione-romano-reinventare-frammenti-di-bellezza-e-di-storia

For information and mandatory reservations for guided tours, write to info@musefirenze.it or call 055-0541450.

Tickets: Free admission to the Salvatore Romano Foundation until 5:00 PM with last entry at 4:15 PM; free participation in the 45-minute guided tours scheduled for 2:00 PM and 3:30 PM.

11/09/2026

pdf – 10 MB

LocandinaGEP26_Diurna

Download

FAQ

Why is the Historic Centre of Florence a World Heritage Site?

The Historic Centre of Florence was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982. The justification for its inscription is contained within the Statement of Outstanding Universal Value, which articulates the criteria for inscription of the site, its integrity, authenticity and the management system for its protection. The Historic Centre of Florence is considered to be a unique artistic achievement embedding museums, churches, palaces and globally renowned cultural goods of inestimable value. The city has also been able to exert an important cultural, economic and architectural influence in Italy and Europe for centuries, defining itself as the birthplace of modern Humanism and Renaissance values. The stratification of these values is also enriched by the relationship between the Historic Centre and the surrounding hills, which form a perfect harmonious backstage.

What is the area of the city of Florence inscribed on the World Heritage List?

The Core Zone inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1982 coincides with the Historic Centre of Florence, traditionally identified with the area included within the avenues corresponding to the ancient circle of the fourteenth-century walls. In 2021, a boundary modification of the perimeter was approved to include the complex of San Miniato al Monte and the surrounding area. The Buffer Zone of the site encompasses the eighteen Belvedere points and includes part of the territories of four municipalities: the Municipality of Florence, the Municipality of Sesto Fiorentino, the Municipality of Fiesole and the Municipality of Bagno a Ripoli.

What is the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV)?

Cultural and/or natural significance that is so exceptional that it transcends national boundaries and is of common importance to present and future generations of humanity as a whole, constituting the fundamental requirement for the inscription of porperties on the World Heritage List. The properties deemed to hold Outstanding Universal Value can be included in the World Heritage List if:

They satisfy one or more Selection Criteria;
They respect the conditions of Integrity and Authenticity;
They have an adequate Protection and Management System to ensure their safeguarding

Read all FAQs