Underground Built Heritage (UBH) includes all underground structures of archaeological, natural, geological, historical and architectural interest. These priceless sites, however, are often penalised by a lack of funding for their maintenance and promotion, unclear regulations governing their management and a lack of awareness on the part of local and non-local actors.

Underground4Value was launched in 2019 with the aim of building an international network of experts and implementing and disseminating balanced and sustainable approaches to the conservation and enhancement of these tangible and intangible assets, with particular reference to the positive impact that such strategies can have on the territory and its inhabitants. As part of the project, a series of case studies were identified, both in Northern and Central Europe and in the countries of the Mediterranean basin, which constitute an ideal theatre for testing the models and initiatives developed during the four years of research.

The Postojna caves in the Karst region of Slovenia are the most visited underground system of caves and galleries in Europe. What appears to be a success in terms of tourism promotion actually conceals several critical issues related to the intensive exploitation of the area to generate profit: the caves are in fact managed by a private company (in which the municipality holds a minority stake) that controls almost all economic activities in the area, leaving little room for local participation and with little impact on the community. Although the caves are the subject of constant climatic and speleo-biological monitoring, the huge influx of visitors risks compromising the ecosystem in the long term, and it is therefore necessary to intervene in order to re-establish a balance between use and conservation.

On the other hand, two interesting underground cavities of anthropogenic origin have been identified in Italy: the Camerano caves in the province of Ancona, located under the historical centre of the city and of unknown age and use, and the extraordinary historical-artistic stratifications of the Rione Sanità in Naples, which include the Catacombs of San Gennaro, San Gaudioso and San Severo, and Cimitero delle Fontanelle, excavated inside a tuff quarry in the bowels of the Materdei hill.

Both sites are currently the focus of cultural and tourism recovery and enhancement initiatives, with the aim of turning them into potential economic levers for the area,

while strengthening the locals’ bond with their underground heritage

Discover the other case studies at this link.