National Days of the Italian Castles 2019

19 regions involved with many main sites which are not just castles or towers but often entire city walls like those of L'Aquila or Vicenza or the ghost city and museum park of Craco (Basilicata) and some of the most beautiful villages in Italy like Mondavio - all animated by free guided tours, book presentations, concerts, exhibitions, conferences and much more: these are the figures, in short, of the National Day of Italian Castles 2019, reaching the 21st edition and set for Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 May 2019, organized by the Italian Institute of Castles (IIC), scientific nonprofit organization founded in 1964 in Milan by Piero Gazzola whose regional offices are present in all Italian regions.

Since 21 years, May has become synonymous with the keenest tourism trends throughout the Italian peninsula. Families, foreign visitors, schools and universities can devote themselves to an intense 'two days' of discoveries of castles, fortresses, towers and other fortified architectures, without forgetting the possibility of visiting entire villages, walled cities and ramparts: this appointment for enthusiasts of history, restoration and architecture, cultural tourism is so well established that it is often sold out in many of the interested locations.

Every year the sites chosen by the IIC members in agreement with local authorities and other decision-making bodies included private owners are different from the previous ones, allowing visitors to constantly enrich their knowledge and spend a spring weekend even in less known places in Italy or in their own city to visit fortified architectures often not open to the public where they can discover a building and its history told by experts and scholars, browse a new book just presented, attend a conference, an exhibition or a concert, or know the state of the art of valorization and of public-private synergies. Milestones of our civilization, these places and these architectures tell the story of a country, its socio-political transformations, the richness and diversity of its territories along with the stories of people, families and dynasties - brought to us thanks to the strenuous activity held by volunteers, students, young graduates, university professors, authors, essayists and experts, architects and restorers who personally conduct visits to sites identified with competence and passion.

The 21st National Days of Italian Castles are designed and organized, as every year, by the Istituto Italiano Castelli, a scientific non-profit organization that has been committed to safeguarding the entire historical and cultural heritage for 55 years and the enhancement of the immense heritage of castles, fortresses and architectural buildings. For a great celebration of the inestimable wealth of the Italian landscape. With over 20,000 sites surveyed, photographed and studied and with a capillary organization, the non-profit organization designs and promote cultural and scientific activities all year round, including the publication of two editorial series and a specialized magazine, periodic meetings and conferences, discovery trips, a prize for the most deserving degree thesis on fortified architectures and Il Castello tells a story, a photographic competition dedicated to secondary school students.

Not last, every year, numerous conferences as well as real courses of ‘castlelology’. There is a constant need to spread the knowledge of these testimonies of our past, which constitute one of the foundations of our historical and cultural identity, and this can happen both by highlighting its importance in public opinion and by stimulating the new generations to a a better understanding of this extraordinary, fascinating and suggestive patrimony, whose consistency is second only to that of religious architecture.

It 's true, today there is a strong excitement and interest from the institutions and the civil world around castles and fortified villages, but it must be remembered that the IIC began to deal with them since 1964, recognizing the importance of their protection and enhancement and their extraordinary potential in the life of our country when very few, if any, had looked at them least. Strengthened by its history and its constant commitment to architectural and landscape enhancement, the IIC has also obtained for this edition (as for the previous ones) of the National Days of Italian Castles the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism (MIBAC).

Practical information: Giornate Nazionali dei Castelli/National Days of Italian Castles 2019: 21st edition: Saturday 11th, Sunday 12th May 2019.

Each selected site offers free guided tours and other initiatives (presentations, concerts, tastings and lunches, conferences, seminars, round tables, book launches): they are organized on the two days according to a regional calendars.

Source: http://www.istitutoitalianocastelli.it

Information about the National Day of Italian Castles in Trentino can be found in the documents attached here:

complete programme

 GNC_Locandina 2019_rev06_MD.pdf 884,30 kB