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At the Essaouira seminar on "Urban Development
and Fresh Water Resources: Small Coastal Cities", the delegations from
the small coastal cities of Taglio di Po (Regional Park of the Po Delta,
Italy) and Omisalj (Isle of Krk, Croatia), were headed by their mayors.
Their objectives were two-fold: (i) to listen to and evaluate the initiative
promoted by UNESCO, and (ii) to study the proposal to turn Omisalj into
another pilot case of the Project. Co-operation between the two municipalities,
in the framework of the above international Project, would take into consideration
the following factors:
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The small coastal city of Omisalj, with a
population of slightly over 2,000 inhabitants, overlooks the Adriatic Sea
from atop an 85m-high cliff. Here, not far from petrochemical industrial
complexes, is a site of considerable historical and cultural importance,
currently in a state of abandon. Vestiges remain of Fulfinium, a Roman
settlement (with a port and necropolis) from the early Christian era, upon
which a Romanesque basilica was built in the 5th Century.
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Even though its culture and environment are
different from those of Essaouira, Omisalj also faces a series of problems
related to urban development, water resource management, and restauration
and revitalisation of its cultural, historical and natural heritage.
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Within the framework of the twinning that
took place in 1993, the two urban communities joined hands in a programme
of co-operation. Originally these activities had humanitarian objectives
(during the war); since then, efforts have been oriented towards achieving
the common goal of sustainable development of their respective territories.
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At the initiative of the Mayor of Taglio di
Po, six Italian urban communities (Finale Emilia; Andria, Camponogara,
Rosolina, Porto Viro and Cava dei Tirreni) have agreed to support the project,
and further contacts will be promoted among the Italian regions along the
Adriatic coast.
Following the example of the Essaouira case,
the two cities of Omisalj and Taglio di Po signed a letter of mutual cooperation
to deal with topics for their common good, such as:
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study and preservation of material and non-material
cultural heritage;
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integrated water management (water supply
and treatment);
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study, protection and valorization of the
natural heritage through education and the awakening of all the social
actors of development;
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multi-domain sustainable tourism development
(seaside, cultural, ecological etc).
As the first step in the implementation of
this agreement, various expert missions and on-site seminars will be organized
by the UNESCO Office in Venice. Thus, in March 1998 a meeting will be held,
in which new partners (communities, regions and private individuals) will
meet to study the initiatives sponsored by UNESCO. In April-May, a mission
of archaeological experts will visit Omisalj with a view to launching,
together with local experts, the exploration of the Fulfinium site, identifying
the area that is to be excavated during field campaigns and organizing
a summer camp for volunteers. In May, an international seminar will be
held to define a methodological frame of reference with a view to the sustainable
development of Omisalj, with particular emphasis on historical and cultural
heritage, water resources and Nature protection. During the summer period,
the first archaeological exploration campaign, co-ordinated by Italian
and Croatian experts, will start in Fulfinium. The recovery of the early
Christian Basilica is foreseen as well.
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