The United Nations organisation for Education, Science and Culture came into being in London in November 1945 as an entity designed to contribute to peace keeping, further respect for human rights and create parity across peoples via Education, Science, Culture and Communication.
In 1972 the convention was adopted for the protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The World Heritage Convention has currently been enforced in 182 countries thus making it a successful international legal instrument.
Since 1980 Rome’s Historic Centre, the extraterritorial buildings of the Holy See in the City and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls have been World Heritage sites. Other sites within the walls built by Urban VIII were added in 1990.
Given the exceptional historical and cultural value of sites belonging to the Rome’s cultural patrimony, criteria for their evaluation and certification have been established with the help of HERITY. These criteria offer the public information on a site’s importance, conservation and accessibility in addition to encouraging the owners and/or managers to give due value and improved protection for the sites they are responsible for.
HERITY is the world organisation for the Certification of Quality Management of Cultural Heritage.
At the entrance to every publically or privately run museum, monument, open air site, library or archive that is open to the public look for the HERITY logo, which is similar to a target. It clearly and immediately shows visitors the level of standing for the site for the year in progress on a scale of 1 to 5 judged on the following 4 criteria:
a) Perceived cultural value (RELEVANCE)
b) State of restoration and maintenance (CONSERVATION)
c) Level of information transmitted to visitors (COMMUNICATION)
d) Quality of reception facilities (SERVICES)
HERITY scores are valid for three years and on renewal they are re-judges and updated according to changes.
Please click on the link below to download a map of Rome’s historic centre indicating a HERITY itinerary.
