The Fondazione Romualdo Del Bianco – Life Beyond Tourism® and the APSARA National Authority (ANA) collaborate to promote the protection and enhancement of cultural heritage, the education of new generations, and more sustainable and responsible models of tourism.
The collaboration stems from the Memorandum of Understanding signed in Florence in November 2025 by the Foundation’s President, Carlotta Del Bianco, and the Director General of the APSARA National Authority, H.E. Dr HANG Peou.
The three-year agreement establishes a common framework for developing education, research, intercultural exchange, and heritage-related activities, connecting the experiences developed in Florence and Angkor.
APSARA and the Protection of Angkor
Established in 1995 by the Royal Government of Cambodia, the APSARA National Authority is responsible for the protection, conservation, and management of Angkor Archaeological Park and the Siem Reap region.
Over the years, it has coordinated programmes in archaeological research, monument restoration, territorial planning, and sustainable management, working with universities, scientific institutions, and international organizations.
Angkor is much more than a collection of monuments: it is a living cultural landscape, where tangible and intangible heritage, local communities, traditions, religious practices, and economic activities coexist and influence one another.
This integrated vision of heritage is one of the key areas of common ground with the approach promoted by the Romualdo Del Bianco Foundation.
From Heritage to Cooperation
The collaboration is based on a shared vision: cultural heritage is a resource that can become a means of mutual understanding, dialogue, and cooperation between cultures.
The Memorandum translates this vision into a programme of collaboration encompassing heritage, education, innovation, and the participation of new generations.
Education and New Generations
One of the priority areas is the involvement of students, researchers, and young professionals through educational programmes, Summer and Winter Schools, internships, and opportunities for international exchange.
The collaboration also includes participation in initiatives promoted by the Foundation, including the International Officina for the Culture of Dialogue and Storytellathon®, encouraging exchange among young people from different cultural and professional backgrounds.
The aim is to develop skills that connect heritage, intercultural dialogue, innovation, and sustainable development.
Digital Innovation and Connecting People with Places
The collaboration also includes the possibility of introducing the Foundation’s Luoghi Parlanti®, Talking Places, experience in Cambodia, using digital tools and multimedia content to tell the stories of places and cultural heritage.
This approach enriches the visitor experience by connecting heritage with the people and communities who preserve and give meaning to it, encouraging a deeper and more conscious understanding of the territory.
Its application in the context of Angkor can provide an opportunity to explore new ways of interpreting and presenting heritage, with particular attention to the relationship between visitors, local communities, and cultural identities.
Angkor and Florence: Heritage in Dialogue
The collaboration creates a bridge between Angkor and Florence, two places deeply connected to cultural heritage and sharing the responsibility of passing it on to future generations.
On one side stands one of the most important archaeological complexes of Khmer civilization; on the other, Florence, where the Foundation has worked for over thirty years to bring people and cultures together through heritage.
These two very different contexts share a common challenge: ensuring that heritage conservation encompasses the people, knowledge, relationships, and communities that ensure its continuity, together with its tangible assets.
A Partnership for Cultural Diplomacy
The agreement with APSARA strengthens the Foundation’s international network and represents a concrete example of its commitment to cultural diplomacy.
Education, knowledge exchange, innovation, youth engagement, and engagement with local territories become ways through which institutions from different countries and cultures can build lasting relationships.
The collaboration between the Fondazione Romualdo Del Bianco and the APSARA National Authority therefore approaches heritage as a shared space for dialogue and cooperation, connecting cultures, generations, and territories and contributing to a more sustainable and peaceful future.
