Italy can boast two new UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage elements: “Lipizzan Horses – Lipizzan Horse Breeding Traditions” and “Tocatì, a Shared Programme for the Safeguarding of Traditional Games and Sports”.
The two new elements were announced during the XVII session of the Intergovernmental Committee on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage taking place in Rabat between 28 November and 3 December 2022. The two registrations increase the number of Italian elements registered on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists to 17. This prestigious result confirms Italy’s highly important position in UNESCO and the excellent team effort by the national economic system, the result of close cooperation between public institutions with the coordination of the Foreign Ministry and local authorities and associations. The commitment by our country to protect and showcase knowledge and social practices handed down from one generation to the next was also rewarded.
“Lipizzan Horses – Lipizzan Horse breeding traditions” – in partnership with Slovenia, Austria, Bosnia, Croatia, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia – revolves around breeding Lipizzan horses, a complex heritage of knowledge and practices that became widespread in all the countries of the Austrian-Hungarian empire following the creation of that breed of horse in the town of Lipica (Slovenia) in 1580, leading to the blossoming of a network of infrastructures and architecture and vital knowledge that lasts to the present day.
“Tocatì (it’s your turn), a shared programme for the safeguarding of traditional games and sports” – in partnership with Belgium, Cyprus, Croatia and France – is registered on the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices in order to protect a set of traditional games that give expression to day-to-day life and rituals and festive occasions in broad swathes of Europe.
