COMMUNITY THE HEART OF HERITAGE 

17/07/2019

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Continuing students of ‘The Arts’, as every architect, planner and designer should consider themselves, enjoy much of their time in observation and assimilation of ideas of the past, whether that be the western classics of Greece and Rome, the empires of the ancient central Asian civilisations or the eastern philosophical, literary, and religious traditions of China, India, and Japan. 

This article was first published in The Magazine of Urbanisation.

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Visiting cultural heritage is an essential route to deeper understanding and learning, yet three hundred years ago, only the offspring of the affluent classes were able to enjoy leisurely travel through the antiquities of Europe, this being an essential right-of-passage into adulthood. Such a “Grand Tour” provided unparalleled exposure to the cultural legacy of classical antiquity, being an essential introduction to aristocratic and fashionably polite society of the European continent. Today, by contrast, such experiences are available to much of the public, and my own ‘life-long’ Grand Tour continued last summer with an Italian trip to Tivoli, called ‘Tibur Superbum’ by Virgil in his Aeneid, and with a much longer history than Rome’s, dating back to 1215 BC. The Tivoli "Grand Tour" is a charming trip through the archaeology, history, places of culture and natural beauty inextricably linked to the two magnificent villas which adorn it: the spectacular, renaissance Villa d'Este and the archaeological remains of Villa Adriana (Emperor Hadrian’s Villa), both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Along with the ancient Sanctuary of Hercules Victor (Maecenas’s Villa), a structure dating back to the 2nd century BC, the unique sceneries that emerge from this area were a favourite of poets, painters and rich aristocrats who used to go there in the 19th century during their own Grand Tours.

“In the last few days I have been to Tivoli and I have seen one of the first wonders of nature. The waterfalls, the ruins and the overall landscape belong to those objects,
the knowledge of which enriches our most inner souls."
J.W. Goethe
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​In this interview I meet with Andrea Bruciati, Director of the UNESCO sites that he terms the ‘Villae’ (Villa d'Este and Villa Adriana). A true romantic, his goal is to both harness the cultural quality of the heritage sites and yet further invigorate them to become the pulsating heart of the communities who live and work there. We discuss the particular problems of protecting heritage with introducing new economies to retain vitality and opportunity.   

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NATURE IN ARCHITECTURE

Andrea Bruciati has the profound responsibility of curating Tivoli’s ancient heritage Image: BWPI

Franz Lizst composed works from these very rooms, inspired by the surrounding landscape and fountains at Villa d’Este. Image: BWPI

We sit in Andrea’s office atop Villa d’Este and I am hypnotized by it. It was from here that the celebrated Hungarian composer Franz Liszt wrote several piano pieces between 1865 and 1885 whilst admiring the gardens below with their splendid water fountains and the long, majestic views out across the Roman Campagna. Perhaps I am even sitting in his very seat? Andrea stresses the inseparable relationship between the heritage buildings and the outside spaces and of the important relationships between the architecture and nature, where the inside is also the outside. The bond between man and the landscape in Tivoli is profound, as is the relationship between the heritage buildings and the town itself. But for Tivoli there is a special relationship with not just landscape but water. The town and water are in complete togetherness, the very lifeblood. Water is important in the villas but in different ways: at Villa Adriana water takes a strong symbolic form; at Villa d’Este it is the focus feature; yet at the Sanctuary of Hercules Victor, water has been harnessed as energy, where the hydropower plant established in 1886 powered the whole town with the first electricity in Italy. Stunning views of the cascades formed the focus of a visit on the Grand Tour, so water is the essential essence of the town, with “so many meanings and so many values”. Without the Sanctuary there would be no Villa Adriana, and without the Villa Adriana there would be no Villa d’Este”, who’s water gardens are as important, if not more so, than the actual building.​

One Hundred Fountains water feature seen from the shade of a covered pathway at Villa d’Este Image: BWPI

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THE CHALLENGES OF MODERNITY

The ‘borrowed view’ towards Rome in the distance viewed from Neptune’s Fountain at Villa d’Este. Image:BWPI

So how can an ancient town exist in a modern world? Andrea is clear that it is strongly dependant on the whole community becoming a valued stakeholder and taking self-pride, gratification and feelings of stewardship in the uniqueness. In the past the heritage sites had been considered as distinct from the town and its people. These were protected and conserved as separate entities in a conservative management style. The sites needed to be defended from the town itself. Today Andrea seeks to create a more osmotic relationship, whereby there is raised awareness of the value of the sites to the townsfolk and they are more open to community consciousness. On Mondays, where previously the Villas had been closed, along with the businesses surrounding them, they are now open for free to local residents, allowing them to feel they are part of their town and generating activity in the local community where before there was none. He feels people are becoming appreciative of the beneficial economic and civic opportunities afforded to them once ‘the’ heritage becomes “their” heritage.

New commercial opportunities are being explored through operating the vineyards outside the walls of Villa d’Este. Image: BWPI

Changing the mentality of the people is the essential ingredient and ties in to the UNESCO Values of promoting education, creating dialogue and the solidarity of humanity. Recently, projects have been initiated to return the heritage landscapes to working landscapes, focused on utilising the olive groves of Villa Adriana and vineyards of Villa d’Este, with community involvement in the production process. In this case, what was previously seen by the populace to be “the Villas’ gardens” has enabled personal, emotional and physical investment that now leads to an appreciation of the entirety of the heritage needing to be treasured. “Whilst the economics are relatively small the politics are big” explains Andrea. The town has come to feel the value of the ancient lands, where the community needs to care, but needs to be involved in order to care

The tranquillity of the community managed olive groves at Villa Adriana. Image: BWPI

“Beauty and value exist together on a really fragile platform, and the support of the community is the essential ingredient in protection of that fragility, like looking after a delicate flower. To fully understand the beauty, it needs to be cared for together, continually and relentlessly and you must feel the flower is your very own flower.” 

“When you enter into Villa Adriana you enter into a different world, one that puts you into a state of heightened consciousness, another perception of reality. Everyone can feel that; a certain rejuvenation of the self, in touch with the past and in touch with the soul. You need to be able to see, feel, hear and smell, use all the senses of ‘being’. This is something that cannot be done with technology and we don’t provide wifi or modern applications. Sometimes the young people cannot relate to this old style, but it is essential to the overall experience.”

Talking about the younger generations, I wonder how Tivoli can attract people to stay and forge their lives there, rather than be attracted to go off to the ‘big city’ for more opportunities? Andrea explains how the economies must evolve, how in the post war period the town relied primarily on its industry, nobody placed any value on the heritage assets. Even today tourism is only just starting to emerge as a serious economy (there is remarkably little hotel accommodation in the town). The commercial sector is starting to understand the benefits of tourism. Andrea wants to develop a model whereby visitors can sleep and work at the heritage sites in part of a bigger integrated community system with all the towns business aspects holistically considered and managed. “All of the parts are important, not just the heritage sites. The approach needs to look not just at economy but also civic awareness and pride in order to create a special community sensibility.”

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THE SOCIAL POLITICS OF HERITAGE

The tranquillity of the temple of Serapis at Villa Adriana. Image: BWPI

The bond between man and the landscape in Tivoli is profound, as is the relationship between the heritage buildings and the town itself. Image: BWPI

I wonder if mass tourism could also be a detractor from establishing such a sensibility? Too many visitors to Venice for example have displaced the residents and destroyed the old communities and their basic life structures. “There is a definite need to balance the quantity with maintaining the quality” states Andrea. Whilst the intended experience at Tivoli is completely different in his mind, the intensity of the Venetian model has shown the conflict that can arise between locals and tourists. He feels that in order to maintain the population and particularly the younger generations, the town must create a special liveability, built on community pride in the town itself and feel the real sense of belonging and ownership of the ‘Villae’. Smaller towns can be attractive by networking together, technology has made people and business connected even when apart, so living and working in small towns need no longer be an isolated experience. The main draw however should be the high quality of life that is inherent; with the benefits of the old life supplemented by the opportunities of the new. Andrea returns to the sense of developing a sense of understanding values and that a small town can be as important as any big city once this is identified. “It starts from the roots, the culture and the traditions that are close to the heart. Heritage education can help to show those values, demonstrate inclusivity and discovery of the community. But these changes must be organic, step by step, to gently help people realise the importance of culture in their lives and what really establishes quality of life.”
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The view over the “campagna” from Villa d’Este. Pure magnificence. Image: BWPI

Treating heritage, not as something to be protected but rather as something of which to be proud, to educate and to create community coherence seem to be the clear takeaways here. Increasing the local opportunities for work, collaboration, access and activities can transform the sense of community and shared responsibility for preservation. The unique heritage becomes the people’s ownership, the people’s business, the people’s pride.

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Andrea Bruciati (1968) is an art historian, critic and curator originally fromCorinaldo, in the Marche region.
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He was the director of the Municipal Gallery of Contemporary Art in Monfalcone and artistic director of the Art Verona fair, while since 2017 he has directed the two monumental sites Villa d'Este and Villa Adriana in Tivoli, both declared UNESCO heritage.

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