The training activities promoted by the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation continued over the summer, with many initiatives on offer, primarily in the form of Summer Schools involving teachers, professionals, technicians and operators. Autumn has brought other important training opportunities, all within a comparatively short period. These include the “Dolomiti Days” in Forni di Sopra, Erto, Belluno and Cimolais, which will bring together operators in the agri-food quality network promoted by the Foundation; a course for hospitality workers in the Belluno Dolomites area organised by the Angelini Foundation, and a course for mountain hut managers arranged by the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation.
The Dolomiti Days workshops in Friuli and Veneto
The best way to understand the social and economic processes at work in the Dolomites is to have real first hand contact. This was the thinking behind the Dolomiti Days workshops, which bring together producers in the quality network set up by the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation. The producers met in Forni di Sopra on October 15, to discuss the difficult question of costs and benefits in relation to food quality; in other words, what does it cost to produce real quality, and how well does it pay? Meanwhile, the meeting at New Space in Casso on October 25 will focus on the impact of Storm Vaia on mountain agriculture. The “Ai zei” farm in Belluno is hosting a workshop on November 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The discussion will centre on ways to promote environmental education and social issues through agri-food practices. The last workshop will be on November 8 from 2:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., at the headquarters of the Friulian Dolomites Natural Park in Cimolais. It will focus on different ways to network within the UNESCO Heritage area.
Professional hospitality with the Angelini Foundation
The annual course organised by the Angelini Foundation, and aimed at hospitality workers in the Dolomite province of Belluno, will take place in Belluno (Belluno Dolomites Nature Museum), Agordo (Civic Library hall) and San Vito di Cadore (Centro Studi Ambiente Alpine – Alpine Environment Study Centre) on 5, 12 and 19 November.
The course will involve studying the character of the Belluno area in terms of its geology and geomorphology, as well as examining important features of its history, geography and landscape, and their cultural value and relevance.
The focus will be on round table discussions, workshops and group activities, to encourage interaction and the mutual exchange of ideas and experiences.
Sentinels come together in the Val di Zoldo
On 28 and 29 November, the Municipality of Val di Zoldo will be hosting a special course for the managers of the 66 mountain huts operating in the World Heritage area. The programme is now almost finalised, and includes (weather permitting) an excursion to Passo Giau to study the two aspects that determined UNESCO recognition: the geology and the landscape. The course will then continue with various contributions in the afternoon, and get into action the following day with four round table discussions about very practical issues: the short supply chain (i.e. how to integrate the network of quality producers with that of the mountain hut managers), tourism, the development of an integrated booking system, and the management of water resources. The final goal is to decide on some proposals to put to the Committee of the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation, to examine the possibility of implementing them in all the five provinces of the territory.