"We wouldn't get anywhere if we didn't have so many people working for us." Pierpaolo Vargiu , president of the association " Sardinia towards UNESCO ," opened the penultimate day of the Third International Conference this morning at the Manifattura di Cagliari. The conference, which began Tuesday and runs until tomorrow, will focus on the candidacy of Sardinia's nuraghes for World Heritage status . Today, President Alessandra Todde was again present, accepting the invitation to confirm "the Region's commitment and support in reaching this goal." In the evening, Sardegna nuragica , a public partnership formed by the Crenos Study Center, Crs4, and the Regional Programming Center, presented the economic model that supports the promotion of the immense historical and archaeological heritage. Andrea Zara was present for Crenos, Massimo Deriu for Crs4, and Gianluca Cadeddu for Crp.
The challenge
The journey to support the Nuraghi Island in Paris began in 2020. "It was a dream, now we're a project," he emphasized. "As we know, no other place in the world preserves over ten thousand monuments from the protohistoric era, which is why we've also begun work on an atlas that will catalog, with the help of citizens, municipalities, and experts, the vestiges and legacy of this extraordinary Sardinian civilization."
The route
Technically, it is the World Heritage Committee that awards World Heritage recognition in Paris, where the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization is headquartered. But a step forward is made in Italy, as it is up to the UNESCO National Commission (CNIU) to give the green light to continue the international process. This is an internal office within the Ministry of Culture (MIC), which has been working since April 2024 on the Preliminary Assessment, the evaluation that contains not only the reasons for the nomination but also the intended development plan. The final decision is expected next spring.
The endorsement
"What the association 'Sardinia towards UNESCO' is doing is a journey to reconnect our history from the pre-Nuragic to the Nuragic," Todde said. " All of this must be shared not only with outsiders but also with Sardinians. We can't talk about our island without mentioning this civilization. UNESCO representatives, with whom the Region has recently spoken, are convinced that there is a possibility of recognizing the nuraghe as a World Heritage Site. For this reason, the sites must be made accessible, connected, and integrated into a network. If, as Sardinians, we succeed in this endeavor, we will have already achieved the greatest recognition."
