Rethinking Heritage: Climate, Crowds, and Collaboration in Venice

Last month, Venice became the epicenter of Europe’s cultural heritage conversation as Europa Nostra, the continent’s leading heritage advocacy network, marked its 60th anniversary with a landmark summit. Held against the backdrop of Venice’s iconic but vulnerable waterways, the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2023 brought together 500+ experts, policymakers, and practitioners to confront urgent challenges: rising sea levels, funding gaps, and the delicate balance between tourism and preservation.

Here’s how the event’s themes—and Venice’s own struggles—can inform your institution’s strategy in the year ahead.

Case study: Venice’s blueprint for climate-resilient heritage

The summit’s most poignant sessions focused on Venice itself, where the Venice Sustainability Foundation and UNESCO unveiled a pilot project to protect the city’s at-risk landmarks. Using sensor networks to monitor flooding impacts on the Basilica di San Marco and AI-driven models to predict tidal damage, the initiative exemplifies how heritage sites can:

• Leverage technology for prevention: real-time data informs restoration priorities and funding appeals.
• Forge cross-sector alliances: the project combines EU grants, engineering expertise from the Politecnico di Milano, and local artisan knowledge.
• Engage global audiences: a virtual “Adopt a Stone” campaign lets donors fund specific preservation efforts, with live updates via blockchain.

For smaller institutions, the lesson is clear: climate resilience isn’t just for coastal cities. A medieval monastery in Austria, for instance, partnered with a solar energy cooperative to fund roof repairs—tying preservation to renewable energy goals.

The summit’s call to action: three themes for 2024

1. “Shared stewardship” in practice

Europa Nostra’s 60th-anniversary declaration urged institutions to move beyond “ownership” to shared responsibility. Examples from the summit:

• The “Heritage Hubs” initiative: a new digital platform connecting rural museums across Europe to co-curate exhibitions, share conservation costs, and pool grant applications.
• Community-led repairs: in Croatia, the city of Dubrovnik trained locals in traditional stone masonry to maintain its UNESCO-listed walls, reducing reliance on external experts.

2. Digital ethics: preservation over exploitation

While AI and NFTs dominated discussions, the summit stressed ethical guardrails. The Fondazione Giorgio Cini’s partnership with the Factum Foundation showcased how 3D scanning can create ultra-precise replicas of fragile artworks for public display, while originals are preserved offsite. As one panelist warned: “Digitization should protect heritage, not commodify it.”

3. Tourism reimagined: quality over quantity

Venice’s overtourism crisis loomed large. Solutions proposed:

• Timed ticketing: Lessons from the Galleria Borghese in Rome, which reduced overcrowding while increasing revenue.
• Experiential partnerships: The Venice Biennale’s collaboration with Airbnb to offer artist-led tours of lesser-known calli (alleys), redirecting visitors from saturated hotspots.

A challenge to confront: the funding paradox

Despite optimism, attendees agreed that funding remains fragmented. Europa Nostra’s own study revealed that 70% of heritage sites rely on understaffed volunteer teams. Yet the summit also highlighted creative workarounds:

• Italy’s art bonus scheme: tax breaks for corporate donors funding restoration (used by 1,200+ sites since 2014).
• Micro-patronage: The rijksmuseum’s “Adopt a Tile” campaign, which funded repairs through small public donations.

Actural’s take: turning summit ideas into action

1. Start with a “Collaboration Audit”: Map local universities, businesses, and NGOs with overlapping goals (e.g., a tech school seeking AI projects + a museum needing digitization).
2. Frame preservation as climate action: Align restoration projects with ESG criteria to attract green investors.
3. Experiment with controlled tourism: Test timed entry or off-season cultural festivals to balance revenue and preservation.