“Noi Dolomiti UNESCO” [We are the UNESCO Dolomites] is a promotional initiative launched by the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation and produced by journalist Giambattista Zampieri, telling the stories of those who live and work in the different areas of the World Heritage Site and the valleys connecting them. The episodes for each season, with 6 seasons created since 2019 for a total of over 270 broadcasts, have been aired during the summer months on leading local television channels and the YouTube channel of the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation.
THE VOICES AND FACES OF THE DOLOMITE PEOPLE
The episodes of “Noi Dolomiti UNESCO” have a positive slant and a constructive approach, but their aim is not to showcase the beautiful scenery or describe an “artificial” way of life. What they really aspire to is to give a journalist’s vision of how the local people live, sometimes “thanks to”, “in spite of” and often simply “with” the Dolomites: they meet the people who run the mountain huts, producers and farmers who belong to the Foundation’s network, students, people involved in culture and tourism, public administrators, park managers, the residents of the Dolomites and all those who have a story to tell or have lived the experiences in their lives or work which embody the values that led to UNESCO recognition. The series also features many of the Foundation’s activities throughout the property.
“WE” THAT MEANS EVERYONE
AND CONNECTS THE VALLEYS
The series is aimed at people inside the UNESCO territory rather than outside it: its purpose is to encourage constructive dialogue between the protagonists of this unique but single territory, despite them coming from very different administrative, economic, social and linguistic backgrounds. Pointing out the differences, without mincing words, but focusing on what unites them, could become the foundation for achieving complete and shared awareness of living in a World Heritage Site. A good example is the farmers who, when they talk of their products, the difficulties they come up against and the role they have in the different contexts, can find common ground, despite coming from very different backgrounds. The same can be said for those working in the tourist industry: sharing the different ways of managing tourist flows within the network, for instance, could suggest solutions for resolving conflicts or clichés. The purpose is ambitious but is one that the Foundation has always set itself, working from the grassroots up: at the end of the day, the experience of “We are the UNESCO Dolomites” is none other than the continuation of the participatory process, albeit using different methods, which led to the drawing up of the Property’s Overall Management Strategy.
How it is made
The “Noi Dolomiti UNESCO” [We are the UNESCO Dolomites] project was conceived and produced by journalist Giambattista Zampieri, backpack over his shoulder, microphone in hand, and with only one video camera. His approach is journalistic and therefore simple and direct. While the fairy-tale landscapes of the Dolomites elevate the general aesthetics of the show, its focus is always the stories of the people who live there, facing the difficulties, challenges and opportunities of day-to-day life in the mountains.
Rewatch the 6 seasons:
Since 2023, this activity bas been part of the project “Capacity building. Strengthening the social and regional capital of the Dolomites World Heritage Site (WHS) for lasting and sustainable development of local communities”, established with the support of Fondo Comuni Confinanti.
Until 2022, this activity has been part of the project “Promotion of the region through integrated management and communication actions of the UNESCO Dolomites WHS”, established with the support of Fondo Comuni Confinanti.