Historical background
Who we are
The European University Centre for Cultural Heritage was established on February 10, 1983, at the initiative of the Italian Parliamentary Delegation to the Council of Europe, under the auspices of the Council’s Secretary General, the Italian Government, and with the support of the distinguished representatives of the European scientific community gathered in the P.A.C.T. Group.
Organized as an association of institutional bodies, cultural centers, and educational institutions, it is located in the prestigious Villa Rufolo, granted on free loan by the Ravello Foundation. It is legally recognized by decree of the President of the Italian Republic and operates in conjunction with the Council of Europe, the European Commission, UNESCO, ICCROM, and other prestigious international organizations. Unique in its kind, it is a center of excellence for the scientific and professional specialization of graduates in the field of cultural heritage.
When the Centre was founded by the Council of Europe and by EE. LL. Campania (1983), there was a strong need within the international scientific community to move beyond the rigidly segmented approach of university education at the time. Thus, a multi-/interdisciplinary approach immediately became the distinctive feature of the Center’s activities, summarized in the Esprit de Ravello. The Center thus became a privileged place for scientific debate between researchers from the humanities (archaeologists, historians, philologists, and literary scholars) and those from the “hard” sciences (volcanologists, seismologists, and chemists). Both were committed to integrating their respective research into the protection of cultural heritage.
Over the years, however, the scientific hub has been complemented—with increasing importance—by training and research activities geared toward providing a “service” to decision-makers and institutions by transferring the findings of scientific debate to society, thus providing knowledge tools and methodologies to support cultural policies.
The Center’s mission is therefore to:
- Provide a flexible and advanced reference structure for all scholars and practitioners interested in promoting culture.
- Promote knowledge, management, and enjoyment of cultural heritage through an interdisciplinary approach.Provide a flexible and advanced reference structure for all scholars and practitioners interested in promoting culture..
- Conduct research and training activities to provide high-level scientific, methodological, and operational support to decision-makers responsible for cultural heritage and activities.
- Cooperate with universities, integrating their offerings to meet the rapidly growing demand for interdisciplinary training, which, by their very nature, universities, which tend to be specialized, are unable to satisfy.
