“ABOVE AND UNDERNEATH” THE EUROPEAN CITY

The archaeological and architectural patrimony in middle size urban areas: difficulties in research, solutions for the fruition, cultural tourist offer.

The project focuses attention on some of the problems which middle size cities – often only identified with their peculiar economic activities- face, with particular reference to their historical and urban past, to the difficult fruition of archaeological sites, strangled in chaotic urban textures, and to the difficulty in representing a cultural attraction instead of a place where to stop temporarily.
With Brindisi, Girona and Toulouse, the idea is to pinpoint the peculiarities of each city, starting with their geographical, historical and archaeological characteristics, to look for their hidden potentials, to emphasize the less known cultural and local traditions and to make them known through a common promotional cultural plan. Here the proposed strategy:

basis for the correct handling of urban historical and archaeological sites is their detailed knowledge. Underground research campaigns in each participating city should gather precious information to be added to the information coming from the “superficial” architecture, in order to draw the map of the future urban cultural routes.
the enlargement of the cultural offer in the cities should be granted through a general improvement in access and fruition of the historical, archaeological and artistic sites to be found along the city’s cultural routes. This improvement will be achieved through projects emphasizing the existing heritage.
the involvement of local authorities, of cultural and economical associations is inevitable to improve and coordinate the cultural offer and the promotion of the cities and to achieve direct and indirect economical spin-offs in the short term.
cultural information and promotion should be advertised through new channels which can reach citizens and tourists fast. Therefore the choice to play videos in all partner cities which not only tell about the project but also open “windows” on all involved sites, underlining their strengths, culture and uses.
the new cultural image of the cities requires a new way of looking at them. For this reason the project promotes the prize “Our European cities- contest for video amateurs”. The chosen videos could be used by the local authorities to promote their sites and those of the partner cities and could be published on EuTube.