Faenza and La Spezia join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, recognizing Italian ceramics and design.

THEUNESCO announced, on the occasion of the World Cities Day, the entrance of Faenza e La Spezia of Creative Cities Network, the prestigious international network that recognizes the commitment of urban centers in promoting culture as a driver of sustainable development.

The two Italian cities join the others 58 new entries in the world, consolidating Italy's presence among the countries most representative of creativity applied to the territory.

Faenza was selected for the category “crafts and folk arts”, an award that rewards his historic ceramic tradition, a symbol of identity and a language of innovation.

The application dossier highlighted the city ​​resilience faced with the difficulties of recent years - from the pandemic to floods of 2023 and 2024 — and the ability to enhance the training, museum and artisan system linked to ceramics, projecting it into a international contest thanks to exhibitions, cultural exchanges, and collaborations between artists and craftsmen.

La Spezia, instead, entered the UNESCO network for the category "design", thanks to his innovative and sustainable vision, capable of combining the industrial tradition with a new model of creative and productive development.

The recognition underlines the strategic role of nautical design and the blue economy, but also the city's commitment to training, in collaborations with the manufacturing world and in the promotion of an open and international design culture.

The insertion of Faenza and La Spezia of UNESCO Creative Cities Network represents a a source of pride for Italy, which sees two territorial excellences rewarded, capable of combining tradition, innovation and sustainability.

Creative Cities, established in 2004, promote urban models inclusive, participatory and culturally vital, contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.

This double recognition confirms how the Italian creativity, in its many forms, continues to represent a bridge between local identity and global vision, Between cultural roots and contemporary innovation.