Answer to 1.a. & 1.b.

Qualifications for a site/place/or monuments to become a World Heritage Site include being unique and diverse, it must also be considered to be of outstanding valie to humanity. A World Heritage Site (WHS) can be natural or man-made. Postives for being a community surrounding sites would include just being located to one of many "wonders of the world," another would be that WHS receive emergency assistance if they are in immediate danger, so your community too would receive similar assistance. A negative of having your community surround a WHS would be the tourism that might take place.
One WHS in Italy is Venice and its Lagoon. This site is important because buildings (big and small) contain work from some of the greatest artist to ever live. The site is also absolutely beautiful and its lagoons spread over 118 islands.
A second WHS is the Ferra, City of the Renaissance and its Po Delta. This location marked the beginning of modern town planning. It also displays to universal heritage the infulence of Renaissance culture on a natural landscape.
Finally a third WHS is the Church and Dominican covent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. On a wall of this church is the painting of "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci. One of the greatest artist of all time, and one of the most famous art peices as well.

Response to 1b

After looking at most of Heritage I found them very fascinating. The three that stuck out to me the most are: Isole Eolie, Crespi d'Adda, and Rock Drawings in Valcamonica. Isole Eolie shows scientist an outstanding record of volcanic island-building and destruction. Its landforms represent features for continuous studies of volcanos worldwide. Crespi d'Adda is a small town that was built for its workers in the 19th-20th century. Rock Drawings in Valcamonica consists of 140,000 engravings on about 2,400 rocks distributed on both sides. These carvings were carved in the rock over a period of 8,000 years. All three of theses Heritage sites are important because it helps us understand what happened years ago and what is now happening within our world. They are all an example of extraordinary phenomenons.

Response to 1b

A World Heritage site is a site that is considered to be there for all of humanity not just the people by it. UNESCO's goal is to preserve and protect these sites for future generations of the world.

Italy has many sites on the list. I was surprised to see that only 3 were considered "natural" sites. The Dolomites are a mountain range in Northern Italy. The mountain range is a World Heritage site because it is considered one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the world. The Dolomites also play a great significance to geomorphology, which is the study of how land forms are made and changing throughout time.

Another site is The Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. This church is important because it houses Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting, "The Last Supper." This painting is famous worldwide and was even featured in the movie, "The Da Vinci Code."

Response to 1.b.

World Heritage sites are different places, monuments, and artwork that have been considered to be of great value to humanity in one form or another. UNESCO tries to protect these sites so future generations can see our natural heritage.

The rock drawings in Valcamonica have more than 140,000 carvings that date back to over 8,000 years, representing a group of people that no longer exists. The figures of agriculture, dance, war, etc. help form ideas of how they once lived and thought, and further contribute to the fields studying their history and sociology.

The trulli of Alberobello are pyramid shaped dwellings that were formed from limestone boulders found in the surrounding fields. This sit represents the very beginning of a construction technique that is still used in today's modern buildings in this area.

-Erin Lenkey

Question 1B

World Heritage sites are places that are nominated to be protected and preserved by UNESCO because they are considered to be of extreme value to the people of the world. Italy has a very long list of World Heritage sites. One of the sites listed is Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the islands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto). These towns were built into the landscape, overcoming the disadvantages of the terrain creating beautiful sites that are examples of men working peacefully with nature. Another site listed is the Archaeological Area of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Torre Annunziata. This site is listed because when the volcano Vesuvius erupted it froze these cities in time so that you can go there today and virtually see what life was like during those ancient times.

Kailee Miller- Response to 1.B

Hi Everyone,

The list of World Heritage sites in Italy consists of a wide variety of different places and objects. They are all uniquely different, but some what the same because they all have some historical importance.

The first, World Heritage site that I chose was the Villa Adriana (Tivoli). This monument is important to a universal cultural heritage because it is a complex piece of work containing components from three popular countries- Egypt, Greece and Rome. This piece was created in 2nd Century a.d. by the Roman Emperor Hadrian, and played an important role in the rediscovery of classical pieces of work. I think this piece is important because when people go to visit this monument they not only get to view something from Rome, but also Greece and Egypt.

The second, World Heritage site that I chose was the Val d'Orcia. The Val d'Orcia is a beautiful Renaissance agricultural landscape with towns, farm houses and well managed lands. It provides us with an example of what the landscape used to be like in Renaissance time. The people of this land have a great respect for nature and the earth, which gives us all something to follow. I think that it is an important Universal World Heritage site because it takes us back in time to what the landscape used to be like in the Renaissance time.

Kailee Miller

Response to 1.b.

The kind of sites that are designated as World Heritage sites are ones that are listed by UNESCO as having some sort of cultural or natural significance. They are sites that have an importance to all of humanity and ones that are worth protecting for future generations.

The City of Verona was founded in the first century B.C. and it has preserved a vast number of monuments from the Medieval and Renaissance periods. It also represents a military stronghold. All of this and the development of the architecture over 2,000 years makes the City of Verona important to our universal cultural heritage.

The Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscapes is a railway that opened in 1904 and it connects two historic railway lines that cross the Swiss Alps. It has had a significant technical, architectural and environmental impact on the culture and society of the Central Alps. All of this and the impact the Rhaetian Railway had with the development of mountain railways makes it important to our universal cultural heritage.

-Olivia

Response to 1.b.

Though World Heritage sites can be naturally occurring, most of them are man-made, and referred to as Cultural Heritage sites. These specific sites are designated with such distinction not based on aesthetics alone, but also because of the importance of the history surrounding the site, it's influence on ancient and modern life, and it's universal applicability, that is, how it influences cultures from all regions of the world.

One site I wish to focus on is the Historic Centre of Siena. The gothic architecture is not only fascinating to me, but also had substantial influence on architecture and art throughout Europe. The Piazza del Campo looks to be a fascinating centre, and the Cathedral of Siena is a stunning Roman Catholic church.

A second site of importance are the Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia. These burial sites are not only some of the earliest known burial grounds in the northern Mediterranean civilization, but they also display large wall paintings that reveal aspects of life, death and religion in ancient Etruscan culture. The universal impact of this site is for the uniqueness of the tombs, which are unlike any other in design and structure. Also, burial sites have long been of importance to humankind, and a great deal of cultural knowledge can come from studying the grave sites of any civilization.

All the world heritage sites were places that held something worth saving or some sort of memory worth preserving. For example, the city of the Renaissance, Ferrara was a city that attracted important figures in the 15th and 16th century and became a model of the ideal city for the rest of the country. The memory of the city's importance is remembered through world heritage. Another site, Verona is known for its outstanding military background as well as many structural monuments that deserve to be remembered.

1b

The sites that have been chosen as World Heritage sites are places that have some kind of cultural, natural, or blend of cultural and natural significance globally. These places have had influences on the history of not only the countries in which they are located, but the world as well. Therefore, it is the belief of UNESCO that all people are responsible for preservation of these sites.

Although it was challenging to choose only a few sites to focus on, I was able to choose one cultural and two natural World Heritage sites.

The Historic Centre of Siena is located in Siena, which is a city in Tuscany. The center of this city was designated a World Heritage site because of it's medieval and gothic appearance. At this time between the 12th and 15th centuries, several artists wanted to greatly influence Italian and European art, and did so through the architecture of this city. Preserving this part of history gives insight into the culture of the time.

The Aeolian Islands are volcanic islands that have greatly contributed to the studies of geoscientists. The changes and eruptions that have occured over time have led to these islands being studied for over 200 years.

The Dolomites is a mountain range in the northern Italian alps that have been designated as a World Heritage site. (If you haven't seen the pictures of these you should definitely check them out!!!) The mountains contain many sites where geologists have uncovered fossils from the Triassic period. Some of the highest limestone walls in the world can be found here, alongside ledges and peaks that overlook meadows of incredible beauty. The area is protected by government provinces as well as staff members that control the number of visitors allowed on the property.

Melissa B.

1 b Answer

Hey everyone,
So as I got looking at the list of historic sites on the world heritage site I choose 1st one to be the Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie with "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci. The Last Supper artwork was created by Leonardo di Vinci, whose work was "herald to a new era of art." This piece of artwork is known worldwide and has continued to be an inspiration for many artist. The second place is Venice and its lagoon. Venice is spread across the lagoon on 118 islands. The architect of the buildings are one of a kind, with many of the buildings containing works of art.
Andrea

1b. Answer

The places that are world heritage sites have an inspiration behind them or have a meaning whether it be a negative or positive meaning. The world heritage sites that I focused on were Piazza del Duomo in Pisa and here are the four masterpieces of medieval architecture. They are the cathedral, the baptistry, the campanile (leaning tower), and the cemetery. All these pieces influenced or inspired monumental art in Italy. The second place is the city of Florence and the city was build on a settlement called Etruscan. These was the symbol of renaissance rose to economic and cultural dominance under Medici in 15th and 16th century.

-Lisa S

Question 1b

Shark Bay, Western Australia is home to a vast sea-grass bed and also five endangered mammals. This site is important to cultural heritage because if it were not protected we may loose some of those endangered species forever and that would be a great loss to society. Then there is Tsodilo in Botswana, it has been called the "Louvre of the Desert" and holds over 4,500 rock art paintings that are preserved in the desert. This art is part of our history and can give us a glimpse back into the past.

Question 1B - Answer

Looking at the list of World Heritage sites in Italy it seems the majority of the sites/places are cultural locations with a few natural sites mixed in. I chose to focus on Val d'Orica and the Rock Drawings in Valcamonica. The Val d'Orica is the location where the landscape was rewritten during the Renaissance to promote good governance and provide an aesthetic pleasings picture. This landscape is important to a universal culture because it reflectes the innovation in land-management and how it tied to the ideals of proper governance. The second site, the Rock Drawings in Valcamonica, consist of 140,000 engravings about culture, war, land, navigation and magic. These carvings are important to a universal cultural heritage because it allows the modern world to discover, interpret, and understand how human culture, over an 8,000 year time span, viewed and described their world. It also is a documentation of the prehistoric world.

-Kayleigh

Question Answer

So I guess this is where I'm supposed to answer this question.... if not sorry!!!
1b. For my two world heritage sites, I'm choosing Mantua and Sabbioneta, which are in the Po Valley in northern Italy. Mantua is important to universal cultural heritage because it played a significant role in the start of the opera and opera is now performed by many different people. Sabbioneta is important to universal cultural heritage because of its Hebrew printing-press, which has allowed the Jewish to continue to practice their religion.