Preserving Cultural Heritage and Memory: some case studies

How the dramatic Syrian crisis has destroyed a whole country and the lives and hopes for many people, so the destruction of Cultural Heritage aims to erase its memory. In the last two years, Palmyra has been the focus of media attention because of the murder of Khaled al-As’ad and the demolition of its monuments. Following these emotional events, a heated debate has begun on the future of the ancient city and the proposal to reconstruct the monuments damaged by terrorism, with a big echo between scholars and even in public opinion. It is not just an archaeological or technological debate, because it is not only about the material reconstruction, but also about the restitution of the memory. Syria and the Syrians will need to face this great challenge. Cultural heritage is vulnerable, not only because of the war and not only in Syria. In the twentieth century and in the new millennium even in Europe and in Italy the restoration and reconstruction works carried out not only after wars, but also for the protection of the monuments at risk, show the different solutions adopted to preserve the evidence and the memory of the past.