Impacts of UNESCO recognition on viticultural landscapes - The case of the Conegliano and Valdobbiadene Prosecco Hills wineries

Abstract

The objective of this thesis is to investigate the impacts that inscription in the World Heritage List has on a territory, more specifically on a viticultural landscape. UNESCO recognition is certainly a great honor that gives prestige and recognition to a territory, but its impacts must be considered as a whole. For this reason, the object of research considered in this thesis is the wine-growing cultural landscape of the “Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene”, recognized as a world heritage Site in 2019. The research was carried out by examining and interviewing experts from selected wineries in the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene area, in order to fully understand what this recognition entailed from their point of view, i.e., that of the offer. The impacts analyzed in the interviews include areas such as tourism, promotion and communication, Site management, territory and the internal activities of the wineries. In addition, in order to get a more complete picture, some representatives of local authorities and associations were also interviewed to analyze UNESCO recognition as a territorial development tool. With the information gathered, the specific characteristics of the area examined relative to the macro-areas considered will emerge.