(ANSA) - ROME, 02 DEC - "An award that goes to Italy and Bergamo, which previously won the selection among 97 Italian projects. We are really very proud of it". The Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini comments on the announcement of the victory of the Astino Valley project of the prestigious Landscape Award 2021 (the landscape prize of the Council of Europe) given by the mayor of Bergamo Giorgio Gori in a conference at the foreign press office in Rome. "It is even more important - he explains - because Italy also won two years ago and this is the proof of the strength and quality of the project that pushed Europe to choose us again".
"It is the seventh edition of this award that was born together with the Landscape Convention signed today by 40 countries and has become increasingly important. The significant thing is the Bergamo project represented Italy because the Minister of Culture awarded it a few months ago as the best in Italy . In reality, therefore, it is Italy that wins this award and this is a satisfaction that as mayor of Bergamo I share with the whole of our country "said Mayor Gori.
"Our pride - specified Franceschini - is also in the fact that the protection and enhancement of the landscape lies in a line that Italy has chosen well in advance of the trends that fortunately are prevalent today all over the world.
We are the only country in the world that has among the fundamental principles of the constitutional charter in art.
9 with the protection of the historical and artistic heritage of the nation but also the protection of the landscape.
So really our founding fathers were far-sighted.
Protecting our landscape, our coasts and our cities is the first economic investment of a country, defending its beauties.
I am very happy, congratulations to Bergamo, we will continue in this sense also next year with new projects.
(HANDLE).