The constitutional dimension of traditional rural skills: Protection and promotion

Abstract

The identity of a territory is expressed in terms of local knowledge in the formula “traditional rural skills,” which contain the condensed and concretely tangible local biography of a community. The law is called on to preserve such knowledge from the risk of disappearing and to promote it as an instrument of responsible cultural tourism and new employment opportunities. We need to identify the best instruments to protect this immaterial patrimony since the norms typical of the Code of Cultural Heritage and Landscape that generally imply a res cannot be used. In order to promote these time-honored rural skills and intangible cultural goods in general, we need to involve all levels of government and organized actors in civil society.