Project
RenEU - New Renaissance in Europe is a two-year European project financed by the European Commission within the scope of the last call for proposals of the Culture Programme 2007-2013. Five European nations – Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland and France have participated in the project, creating a European network on the theme of Cultural Heritage related to the Renaissance, and promoting a reflection and a debate on the EU dimension of the Renaissance as a phenomenon shaping our contemporary Europe. In this context, RenEU has focused on:
- creating cultural itineraries, which bring the local and European nature of the Renaissance to life;
- enabling intercultural dialogue among European citizens by linking the role of Renaissance in building up a common cultural background in Europe;
- raise awareness on our common European past.
RenEU allows the wide public to enjoy, from a new perspective, the cultural routes integrated in one single European itinerary.
Objectives
The immense cultural heritage left to Europe by the Renaissance is famous across the world. But do we, as EU citizens, know enough about its European value both in historical terms and as a foundation of our present day union?
RenEU starts from these reflections and intends to make the most of the cultural heritage related to the Renaissance, strengthening the European dimension of this phenomenon, with a boost for a reinterpretation coming from the place standing at the heart of the Renaissance. The project aims to achieve a double objective:
1) restructure the debate on the Renaissance period, highlighting its European nature by re-interpreting the role and importance played by other EU territories in the development of key concepts that characterise our culture;
2) encourage a EU wide reflection on the spreading of a New Renaissance age, a cultural process involving the whole continent.
Methodology
Cultural cooperation within RenEU is vital to reach this double sided goal. Mobility of cultural operators builds up knowledge and awareness of the interlinked nature of the Renaissance, while the promotion and circulation of cultural works are facilitated by a web-tool with itineraries. In order to ensure that the project has a concrete impact and is really capable of reaching a wide public, partners have undertaken an intense work and exchange on clarification of some key aspects built on throughout the project. A common lexicon helps to identify the values that characterised that period and the features that have become our common traditions and that are still of interest and relevance to understand cultural development in contemporary Europe. To this end, some key words have been identified in the preparation phase of the proposal in the form of dichotomies that have accompanied the history of our continent through the centuries. Some of these dichotomies, representing philosophical, religious and artistic elements of Renaissance Humanism culture, are: Reason and Imagination, Identity – Diversity, the Nation State, Harmony and Conflict, Innovation and Stagnation, Migration of people and ideas, the centre and the periphery, Shaping the landscape. RenEU activities start from this perspective to analyse the connections between Renaissance Humanism and present day Europe. By identifying such themes, which have been so far considered exclusive for specialists, and linking them to concrete physical spaces of tours and visits through the itineraries proposed, RenEU allows the wide public to enjoy, from a new perspective, the cultural routes integrated in one single European itinerary.
The RenEU project is structured into the following 3 phases:
1) Enhancement of the European dimension and tool definition: analysis of the itineraries proposed by partners and definition of the web tool architecture.
2) Development of cultural itineraries: dedicated to designing and implementing the cultural itineraries.
3) Integration of itineraries: development of one integrated European Itinerary as an interconnected network of interdisciplinary cultural experiences.
Throughout the project, continuous activities of project management and communication and dissemination have been carried out in order to support and strengthen the above mentioned phases.
Activities
Throughout the project, continuous communication and dissemination activities have been carried out. About dissemination materials, over 10.000 brochures and postcards have been distributed to institutions, tourist offices and hotels to disseminate the project and the itineraries developed. Over 500 folders were distributed during press releases to journalists and collaborators. Posts on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) were also used to inform about RenEU's activities (particularly meetings) and results. Also videos were produced and shared on youtube. A specific communication plan has been developed to be used by each partner, together with a unique logo of the project.
Here is a summary of the main communication and dissemination activities carried out by each partner:
Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife (Spain)
The project has been presented during conferences and meetings: (1) the Symposium "The Circular Floor-Plan in the Civil Architecture of the Renaissance. From the House of Mantegna to the Palace of Charles V", in the framework of the School of the Alhambra held in October 2014, (2) the meeting held in April 2015 with the bodies in charge of the preservation of those sites that were included in the itinerary, but which are not directly managed by the Patronato de la Alhambra. This meeting took place at the Palace of Charles V; (3) a workshop on the financing of European projects held in May 2015. The final event for the media and the general public was held in August 2015 at the Palace of Charles V. Amongst the attendees were the representative of the Regional Government and a wide representation of the bodies involved and of the media. A video on RenEU was shot with the cast of the Spanish Public Television series "Charles, Emperor and King" and it is also available on youtube.
Video: Shooting in the Alhambra of Emperor Charles V
Regione Toscana (Italy)
The project and the itinerary "Following Machiavelli's footsteps" have been communicated to school teachers and universities. The main tourist guides associations operating in Tuscany were involved in the communication and dissemination activities through meetings and a workshop devoted to tourist guides. The workshop was held in collaboration with Museo Galileo and the Italian National Institute for Renaissance Studies, and aimed to present the itinerary in details, in order to allow the tourist guides to include the new route in their activities and show the instruments produced (web site, app, itinerary). It was also highlighted the relation among all the five itineraries developed within the project. The final conference organized in the "Salone Brunelleschi" at "Ospedale degli Innocenti", a symbol of the early Renaissance in Florence, gave also the opportunity to present the project to the general public. Free guided tours to the itinerary, held both in English and Italian language, were organized after the final conference, until the end of July 2015.
Programme of guided visits in Florence
Mission Val de Loire (France)
The communication and dissemination activities related to the itinerary "On the trail of Francis I" had the chance to benefit of "2015: Francis I cultural season", organized in France to mark the five-hundredth anniversary since Francis Ist was crowned King of France. Thus the new route has been communicated to journalists of different nationalities, and through the media, in order to reach potential tourists and visitors taking part to the numerous exhibitions, events and activities proposed in 2015 for celebrating the anniversary. Some events took place in castles and buildings that are part of the itinerary developed within project RenEU. Communication was carried on also through newsletters sent out to a long list of contacts.
François 1er - La Renaissance en Val de Loire
Villa Decius Association (Poland)
Concerts, study visits and theatrical plays have been organized at different places and point of interests chosen within the itinerary "Renaissance route in Malopolska". The aim was to present to citizens and the general public these monuments that testify the architecture and the history of the region during the Renaissance. These artistic events were held with the participation of international artists, emphasizing the European dimension of Renaissance. On August 2015, a conference summarizing the RenEU – New Renaissance in Europe project took place at Villa Decius. During the conference, the interactive thematic trails were presented and discussed. The presentation of the trail of the Renaissance in Małopolska in the context of European heritage allowed the participants to share their mutual historical experiences of the 16th-century Europe and to change the emotional image of the region outside the borders of the country. During the conference, a sightseeing tour of Villa Decius and a Renaissance music concert were organized. A video was also produced to present the project and the itinerary developed.
Video: Renaissance route in Malopolska
Night tours and concert in Mirow Castle, Książ Wielki - 31 May 2014
Satyr in Villa Decius, Kraków - 12 October 2014
Duomo in Villa Decius, Kraków - 19 October 2014
Sucha Beskidzka - 25 October 2014
Satyr in Książ Wielki - 19 November 2014
Villa Decius, Kraków - 26 and 28 November 2014
Conference in Villa Decius, Kraków - 31 August 2015
Setepes (Portugal)
The project RenEU and the itinerary "The Monastery of Serra do Pilar" have been presented in Porto during an international conference, the first of the local conferences promoted by the project partners to disseminate the project and the itinerary developed.
Porto, Programme of the conference - 24 March 2015
Meetings
In order to guarantee smooth management and effective coordination among project partners, periodic meetings have been organized, where all issues regarding progress of activities were analysed. Meetings were held with project events (i.e. workshops and public conferences). The calendar of meetings is the following:
1 - Kick off Meeting (Granada - Spain) – 21-22 November 2013
Final Conference
15 July 2015
Salone Brunelleschi
Istituto degli Innocenti
Piazza SS. Annunziata 12 – Florence – Italy
Programme Download
Participants reception
Welcome of the hosting authorities
Enrico Rossi, President of Regional Government of Tuscany, Italy
Alessandra Maggi, President of Istituto degli Innocenti, Italy
The modernity of the Renaissance and its cultural heritage in the 21th century
Benoist Pierre, Chief of the Department of History at the University of Tours, CESR - Centre d'Etudes Supérieures de la Renaissance, France
The Project RenEU: New Renaissance in Europe
Simonetta Bassi, Professor of History of Philosophy from Renaissance to Illuminism at the University of Pisa, Coordinator of National Institute for Renaissance Studies, Italy
Coffee Break
Discussion Panel: Enhancement of Cultural heritage: comparing European experiences
Remi Deleplancque, Chargé de mission Education et Culture Mission Val de Loire, France
Pawel Pencakowski, Chief of the Department of Art in Poland and Theory of Conservation at the Faculty of Art Conservation and Restoration, Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, Poland
Gian Bruno Ravenni, Head of Unit Culture, Regional Government of Tuscany, Italy
Miguel Rodrigues, Chief office of North Culture - Regional Direction, Secretario de Estado da Cultura, Portugal
Stefano Romagnoli, Head of Unit Tourism, Regional Government of Tuscany, Italy
Machiavelli's work
Performance by Fulvio Cauteruccio
Lunch
Project RenEU: Presentation of cultural itineraries
"Porto - The Monastery of Serra do Pilar: a Window on Europe" Download
Susana Matos Abreu, CEAU - Centro de Estudos de Arquitectura e Urbanismo, Faculty of Architecture, University of Porto, Portugal
"Florence - Following Machiavelli's footsteps (1469-1530)"
Floriano Martino, National Institute for Renaissance Studies, Italy
"Granada - The Alhambra and Granada Caroline: the dream of Emperor" Download
Laura Esparragosa Diaz, Head of Research and Information Service, Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife, Spain
Coffee Break
"Krakow - Renaissance Route in Malopolska" Download
Pawel Pencakowski, Chief of the Department of Art in Poland and Theory of Conservation at the Faculty of Art Conservation and Restoration, Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, Poland
"Loire Valley – On the trail of Francis I"
Remi Deleplancque, Chargé de mission Education et Culture Mission Val de Loire, France
RenEU – web tools
Marco Berni, Coordinator of European and Special Projects, Museo Galileo, Italy
Guided visit to the Machiavelli's itinerary
(on reservation)
Gallery
Partners
COORDINATOR
Regione Toscana (Florence – Italy)
The Culture Department of Regione Toscana has cross sector competencies in the field of culture, including: performing arts, cultural activities and heritage, museums, archives, libraries, cultural institutions and memory. The Regione Toscana promotes cultural events across the regional territory with over 300 museums involved and a great favour from the public. The Regional Government has also undertaken an important work in the field of valorisation and promotion of educational activities in Tuscan museums, recognising the invaluable role of schools in the cultural promotion. The Area for Culture of Regione Toscana is responsible for the Tuscan District of technologies for Cultural Heritage and Sustainable cities aiming at promoting and sustaining the usage of advanced technologies in the field of cultural heritage.
CO-ORGANIZERS
Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife (Granada - Spain)
The Board of the Alhambra and Generalife (PAG) is the Autonomous Legal Entity, specialised in conservation of the patrimony of the Alhambra and Generalife. The Board is under the responsibility of Regional Andalusian Government and includes representatives of the central and local government and of the University of Granada in management organs. Its mission is the integrated management of the monumental cultural heritage of the Alhambra and Generalife: real estate, furniture, museums, archives, library, archaeological areas, biodiversity, intangible heritage. This work embraces the principles of the World Heritage Convention (included in the list in 1984) and its main aims, such as protection, conservation and restoration, research, public visitation of the assets it manages.
Villa Decius Association (Krakow - Poland)
Villa Decius Association was established in 1995 as a cultural institution of international outreach and has become a venue for intercultural dialogue. At the basis of all programmes lies the idea of linking together various fields of science and culture from all over Europe and of exchanging ideas, in order to stimulate creative work and to foster dialogue in public life. Many of the Association's interdisciplinary projects promote a multifaceted outlook on the role of culture in the contemporary world. The ideas of the Renaissance, which accompanied the beginnings of Villa Decius, can be revived within today's united Europe.
Setepés (Porto - Portugal)
Setepés, is a cultural enterprise specialised in cultural management and consultancy and is also one of the four official offices of the "A Soul for Europe Initiative". "A Soul for Europe" is not simply an organisation, but a vision with a unique legal structure: a European Economic Interest Grouping pooling resources through man-power and services provided by its member organisations in different cities (European House of Culture, Brussels; Stiftung Zukunft Berlin; Felix Meritis Foundation, Amsterdam and Setepés, Porto). A Soul for Europe believes in the creative force of cultural activities, a drive to activate citizens through culture to forge a Europe of the Europeans.
Mission Val de Loire (Tours - France)
Created in March 2002, Mission Val de Loire is a joint initiative that brings the two regions together, implementing their shared approach to the preservation and promotion of the World Heritage site Val de Loire in close collaboration with the State. It has a coordinating role for making best use of existing assets, stimulating actions, ensuring the coherence of existing actions, and federating and accompanying players concerned.
ASSOCIATED PARTNERS
Direcção Regional de Cultura do Norte (DRCN) (Portugal)
DRCN are responsible for the historical heritage management in Northern Portugal . They guarantee that RenEU reaches schools and tourists, via their links to the Education Services and to the Tourism of Portugal.
Museo Galileo (Italy)
Museo Galileo is a public body and is involved in the development of the project web tool thanks to their experience in the development of online itineraries and their cultural expertise in the Renaissance field.
National Institute for Renaissance Studies (Italy)
The Institute aims to promote, coordinate, and disseminate Renaissance studies. They bring their scientific and cultural expertise to the project and are responsible for the development of the itinerary about Florence and Machiavelli.
City Museum of Sucha Beskiddzka, (Poland)
The Institution manages the historical Renaissance building - The Castle in Sucha Beskidzka. The Museum cooperates in the organisation of the open events.
Public School in Ksiaz Wielki (Poland)
Educational institution that manages the historical Renaissance building - The Castle on Mirow in Ksiaz Wielki. The School cooperates in the organisation of the open events.
Contacts
COORDINATOR
Regione Toscana
Area di Coordinamento Cultura
Via Farini, 8
50121 Florence (ITALY)
www.regione.toscana.it
Gian Bruno Ravenni
Tel. +39-055-4382759 - Fax +39-055-4382680
e-mail: gianbruno.ravenni@regione.toscana.it
Massimo De Benetti
Tel. +39-055-4382612 - Fax +39-055-4382680
e-mail: massimo.debenetti@regione.toscana.it
CO-ORGANISERS
Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife
C/ Real de la Alhambra s/n
18009 Granada (SPAIN)
www.alhambra-patronato.es
Reynaldo Fernandez Manzano
Tel.: +34 958027900
e-mail: reneu.pag@juntadeandalucia.es
Laura Esparragosa Diaz
Tel.: +34 958027922
e-mail: laura.esparragosa@juntadeandalucia.es
Stowarzyszenie Willa Decjusza
ul. 28 Lipca 1943 17 a
30 233 Krakow (POLAND)
www.villa.org.pl
Danuta Glondys
Tel.: +48 12 4253638
e-mail: dglondys@villa.org.pl
Katarzyna Trojanowska
Tel.: +48 12 4253644 w.153 – fax +48 12 4253663
e-mail: kasia@villa.org.pl
Setepés
Rua de Sá da Bandeira, 113
4000-433 Porto (PORTUGAL)
www.setepes.pt
Susana Marques
Tel.: 00 351 22 208 19 69
e-mail: susanamarques@setepes.pt
Mission Val de Loire
81 rue Colbert
BP 4322
37043 Tours cedex 1 (FRANCE)
www.valdeloire.org
Remi Deleplancque
Tel.: +33-02-47669222
e-mail: deleplancque@mission-valdeloire.fr
ASSOCIATED PARTNERS
Direção Regional de Cultura do Norte (DRCN)
Praceta da Carreira
5000-560 Vila Real (PORTUGAL)
www.culturanorte.pt
Museo Galileo
Piazza dei Giudici, 1
50122 Florence (ITALY)
www.museogalileo.it
Istituto Nazionale di Studi sul Rinascimento
Piazza degli Strozzi
50123 Florence (ITALY)
www.insr.it
