Visit by the UNESCO Inspectors – 2023 Re-accreditation

Four very important days for the Sesia Val Grande UNESCO Global Geopark (SVG UGG) came to an end on Saturday 29 July with a visit from UNESCO inspectors, who came to familiarise themselves with our area and assess whether the criteria for sound geotourism management and an accessible, informative approach for those coming to visit our beautiful lands and discover our rich heritage have been met.

The assessors, Antonio Gomes Duarte from the Arouca Geopark in Portugal and Alberto Gil Toja from the Spanish Sierra Norte de Sevilla Geopark, were favourably impressed by the diverse scientific, geographical and cultural landscape of the SVG UGG and by the warm welcome they received.

We are now full of hope for a positive assessment and confirmation for the next four years, until 2028. The announcement will be made at the Global Geoparks World Conference, to be held in Morocco in September.

Our collective thanks go to the staff of the Val Grande National Park and to all the academics who helped organise the visits to the quarries and museums; to Alberto Zanetti of UniPV, who is in charge of the deep drilling operations linked to the DIVE project; to the Sesia Valley Protected Areas Management Authority; the Romagnano Historical and Ethnographic Museum, which is hosting our exhibition and the ‘Il bosco delle rocce’ display at Villa Caccia; the UNESCO Club ‘Terre del Boca”, to Enrico Zanoletti, who is overseeing the Gula Mine project in Val Mastallone, to the Valsesia Mountain Community, to the Calderini Art Gallery and Museum in Varallo, to the Carlo Conti Museum in Borgosesia, the venue for the final meeting, to the Sacri Monti di Varallo Authority, the GAL “Terre del Sesia”, the politicians from the Piedmont Region who were present and played an active role on various occasions, and Tullio Bagnati, former director of the PNVG and a long-standing contributor to the Geopark. Our greatest and most heartfelt thanks go to Marco Giardino, President of the Supervulcano Sesia Val Grande Geopark Association, who has always been knowledgeable and well-informed, and who has been an excellent and tireless organiser of these events.

The photos show some highlights from these four days.