European cultural routes: A tool for landscape enhancement

Abstract

This contribution deals with the topic of the European Cultural Routes as a tool for landscape enhancement-a tool that seeks to build a commonly shared, identity-based perception of local areas and communities-through an analysis of the recent European policies addressing the issue of cultural heritage. This is an extremely broad topic that has seen a significant growth in the past few decades among European and national institutions seeking to finalise and implement decisions aimed at defining and promoting Cultural Routes. Through an analysis of the evolution of the concept of “Cultural Routes” in the Council of Europe, it emerges that this tool can act as a driving force for developing a new approach to promote the cultural and natural landscape conservation. These routes are part of the EU assets linked to local traditions and identities, history and culture. In such a systematic vision, our heritage - both physical and intangible - must be understood as a key element in building these routes at a European level, as well as the local identity of the areas they cross.