UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Founded on 4 November 1945 in Paris, just after the end of the Second World War, it aims to support peace, strengthen links between cultures and create an environmentally friendly model of economic development. These important goals are achieved through numerous initiatives, among which the best known is the creation of the World Heritage List, the list of 1090 places worldwide chosen for their outstanding cultural value.
The objective is to conserve and protect the identified Heritage, so as to guarantee that it is passed on to future generations. Italy has the largest number of sites inscribed in the WHL, and of these, seven are located in Sicily. In addition to Mount Etna we find the Villa del Casale in Piazza Armerina, the archaeological area of Agrigento, Syracuse and the caves of Pantalica, the late Baroque towns of the Val di Noto, the Aeolian Islands, Palermo and the Cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale.
