The goal of Florens 2010 is impressive: redrawing the map of Italy’s artistic and cultural heritage and relaunching the golden economy as a driving force for the country’s GDP growth.
Brain-child of Giovanni Gentile, president of Florentine Industrialists, this event – one of the city’s first initiatives in the flight for new-found stability – was created as a response to the global crisis that rocked the world’s economy. It was necessary to find an antidote capable of overturning the recession so that Florence could get back on its feet and dictate its own cultural models. Yet, more than just an idea was needed to make this happen.The plan is based on concreteness and team-work and its aim is to produce real benefits for the economy of Florence and Tuscany in general.
The idea advanced by Gentile and the industrial of Florence was immediately supported by significant economic powers such as the Banca Intesa and Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze which proved themselves brilliant sponsors.
The idea was also immediately shouldered by the CNA, dedicated to supporting artisans whose crafts are borderline masterpieces. Once the organizational committee had been established and the money necessary had been guaranteed, organizers began to create an important event (a foundation has already been set up to secure its future); the Chamber of Commerce started bringing together participants such as professional associations and various institutions. It proved a high-level race for those who wished to participate. Prestigious worldwide institutions, academies and foreign universities jumped on the band wagon as well. “The synergy that developed between the event’s various economic components was significant. To see the Superintendent of Cultural Heritage sitting around a meeting table with groups of artisans to find solutions for the restoration sector is already a great result,” explains Luigi Nenci, the director of CNA. “We are creating a team. From our side, we will push the role of high-quality artisans, presenting a project aimed at creating an international academy for artisans.” In less than a year, all of these active forces acknowledged each other and grouped together for Florence 2010, establishing operative guidelines. The week’s key words were “Valorization and Reinterpretation” – taken to mean a new economy linked to cultural and environmental heritage. There is the desire to promote the role of artistic and cultural heritage, a springboard of economic development and international social breath and scope. Florens 2010 was a chain of events that spotlighted the city and its nearby towns. Targeted at the sector’s main decision-makers and international operators, the “International Forum for Cultural and Environmental Heritage” was the week’s main event and provided the chance for various entities to work together towards innovative solutions.
