The Padova Urbs Picta site in the historic walled city comprises eight religious and secular buildings hosting a selection of fresco cycles painted by various artists between 1302 and 1397.
This includes Giotto’s Scrovegni Chapel fresco cycle, considered to have “marked the beginning of a revolutionary development in the history of mural painting”, as well as other fresco cycles of different artists, namely Guariento di Arpo, Giusto de’ Menabuoi, Altichiero da Zevio, Jacopo Avanzi and Jacopo da Verona.
Despite the time span and different artists involved, the fresco cycles “maintain a unity of style and content”.
“As a group, these fresco cycles illustrate how, over the course of a century, fresco art developed along a new creative impetus and understanding of spatial representation,” UNESCO said in a statement.
In addition to Padua, Italy secured UNESCO recognition as part of ‘The Great Spa Towns of Europe’, a new “transnational site” that includes Montecatini Terme in the Tuscany region.
Italy’s culture minister, Dario Franceschini, said that the country now has 71 UNESCO awards, hailing the latest recognition as “a record that strengthens Italy’s cultural leadership and reaffirms the vastness of our cultural heritage”.
The news comes days after the UNESCO committee announced that it will not include Venice on its list of endangered places after Italy agreed to issue a permanent ban on cruise ships docking in the canal city.
