Santo Domingo – Italy contribution to heritage preservation.

Rome: The Spanish historic centre of Santo Domingo is able to maintain its UNESCO World Heritage designation thanks to the recent inauguration of the Dominican Higher School of Restoration.

On the occasion, the progress in the restoration works of the Colonial City of Santo Domingo, entrusted to the Italian expert studio Donadello&Partners following an international tender launched by the Dominican Government, was illustrated.

The restoration work involves the house of Columbus, the Museum of the Royal Houses, the Pantheon, and the facades of 13 churches and 120 private buildings of particular architectural merit.

The Ambassador of Italy to Santo Domingo, Stefano Queirolo Palmas, stressed the importance of the Italian school for the preservation of heritage and the continuing primacy of Italy in terms of number of UNESCO sites hosted in the country. According to the Minister of Labour of the Dominican Republic, Luis Miguel De Camps, only Italians could provide the wealth of knowledge needed for the operation.

The project is also supported and made possible by a parallel effort to train architects, engineers and skilled workers in heritage restoration.

The Dominican Republic hosts several examples of Italian heritage, including Casa d’Italia, a fine 16th-century palace; Casa Vicini, a 19th-century emporium whose owners are originally from Zoagli, Genoa; and the presidential palace, designed by engineer Guido D’Alessandro.