“Dialoghi Immateriali”: Communities of Living Cultural Heritage Gather in Monza
COMUNICATO STAMPA
Six communities come together at the Villa Reale on Oct 9, 2026.
Nicolò Amati’s “Hammerle” violin features in a performance bringing together opera singing and violin craftsmanship.
Monza, Oct 7, 2026 – On Friday, Oct 9, 2026, the Villa Reale in Monza will host the first edition of Dialoghi Immateriali, initiated and organised by the Committee for the Safeguarding of the Art of Italian Opera Singing. The initiative has been granted the patronage of UNESCO and the Italian Ministry of Culture (MiC).
The event aims to foster the exchange of knowledge and good safeguarding practices between communities and institutions. “Renewing Cultural Heritage through Encounters between Communities” is the theme of the day, bringing together different traditions to explore how they can remain living practices and be passed on to future generations.
Participants will include communities representing traditional violin craftsmanship in Cremona; the musical art of horn players; truffle hunting and extraction in Italy; the practice of opera singing; manual bell ringing; and Italian cooking, between sustainability and biocultural diversity. These six expressions are inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The conference session, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., will combine institutional addresses, community presentations and a round-table discussion on the transmission of knowledge and opportunities for collaboration. Speakers will include Paolo Pilotto, Mayor of Monza; Ambassador Liborio Stellino, Permanent Representative of Italy to UNESCO, who will join remotely; and Alessandro Monti, Secretary-General of the Italian National Commission for UNESCO. The moderators will be Elena Sinibaldi, UNESCO Focal Point at the Italian Ministry of Culture, and Matteo Paoletti, a lecturer at the University of Bologna.
From 5:30 p.m., performances will bring these traditions to life across the Villa’s spaces, with manual bell ringing at the entrance to the Teatrino di Corte, followed at 7:30 p.m. by a performance of the musical art of horn players in the courtyard.
At 6:00 p.m., in the Teatrino di Corte, Cremonese violin craftsmanship and opera singing will come together in a musical performance. Lena Yokoyama will play the “Hammerle” violin, made around 1658 by Nicolò Amati (1596–1684), in a programme featuring works by Isabella Leonarda, Francesco Cavalli and Claudio Monteverdi. She will be joined by mezzo-soprano Valentina Ferrarese and Antonio Greco on harpsichord and as musical director.
The “Hammerle” violin belongs to the Municipality of Cremona’s Civic Violin Collections and is displayed at the Museo del Violino. The grandson of Andrea Amati and teacher of Andrea Guarneri, Nicolò established a model of violin that would guide generations of makers. His influence can also be seen in the early instruments of Antonio Stradivari and Francesco Rugeri. The instrument entered the public collections in 1966 through the community fundraising campaign “A Dollar for Nicolò Amati”.
The day will also feature publications and information materials from the participating communities. It will conclude with an institutional dinner conceived by chef Marcello Passoni of the restaurant 13.10, with a culinary concept inspired by intangible cultural heritage.
This first edition aims to establish a permanent network among the communities, promote a shared calendar of initiatives and develop Dialoghi Immateriali into a recurring forum for dialogue in the years ahead.
Organised by the Committee for the Safeguarding of the Art of Italian Opera Singing, the event is held under the patronage of UNESCO and the Italian Ministry of Culture, as well as the Lombardy Region, the Municipality of Monza and the City of Venaria Reale. Collaborating organisations include Fondazione Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli, 13.10 Cucina Nomade and ENAIP Lombardia, with support from Zurich Bank.
PRESS CONTACT
Head of Communications
Committee for the Safeguarding of the Art of Italian Opera Singing
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