Diplomazia culturale e scientifica italiana in Egitto: il caso della Campagna UNESCO per la Nubia

Italian projects for the study, conservation and enhancement of Egyptian cultural heritage have a long history and remarkable results from the point of view of cultural and scientific diplomacy. The UNESCO Campaign to save the monuments of Nubia, between 1960 and 1980, marks a particularly important moment in the construction of the international awareness of cultural heritage as a common legacy and collective responsibility. This is the highest moment in the history of UNESCO, which, having gone through and resolved huge problems to carry out the rescue, created a condition of extraordinary international cooperation and therefore of cultural diplomacy. Italy's participation in the Campaign, through the rescue of the most famous monuments, those of Abu Simbel and Philae, contributed significantly to the image of Italy as a leading country in the field of conservation and restoration of cultural heritage. At the same time, the success of those undertakings, the most arduous of the Campaign, created an important model of cultural and scientific diplomacy, on whose path the archaeological missions and Italian projects continue to move, with an important commitment that is not only for study and knowledge, but stands out in weaving relationships, in promoting awareness and training, in facilitating accessibility.