Associazione Giovanni Secco Suardo announces that the ASRI project – National Historical Archive of Italian Restorers – is among the winners of the European Heritage Awards 2026, Europe’s leading recognition in the field of cultural heritage, promoted by the European Commission and Europa Nostra and co-funded by the European Union’s Creative Europe programme.
Awarded in the Research category, the project ASRI – National Historical Archive of Italian Restorers is the only major national initiative dedicated to the history of restoration in Italy. ASRI aims to safeguard the private professional archives of restorers—including documents, photographs, and technical materials—an invaluable archival heritage that is often at risk of loss or dispersal and preserves essential information on restoration processes and works of art.
Launched in 1995 and coordinated by the Associazione Giovanni Secco Suardo, the project stands out for its interdisciplinary approach and for the involvement of public institutions, universities, and research centers, with over 90 scholars and researchers engaged in study and cataloguing campaigns at a national level.
The archive has so far collected 33 collections, for a total of approximately 1.68 million documents and over 550,000 images, making a significant contribution to safeguarding a heritage that would otherwise be at risk of dispersal
The collected information is also made accessible through the RES.I. database, a free online platform featuring around 25,000 records and enabling cross-searches on the conservation history of artworks. The system makes it possible to reconstruct the “case history” of works of art, providing a highly valuable tool for restorers, art historians, and heritage institutions.
The international jury stated:
“ASRI has established, for the first time, a national archive of restorers, creating a rare resource that supports future conservation decisions and represents a model that can be replicated internationally.”
The winners will be celebrated at the European Heritage Awards Ceremony 2026, to be held on 28 May at the Municipal Theatre of Nicosia. The ceremony will be livestreamed on the Europa Nostra website.
This high-profile event will be hosted by European Commissioner Glenn Micallef and the Executive President of Europa Nostra, Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger. The ceremony will also be attended by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, as the highest authority of the country holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Also in attendance will be the Deputy Minister of Culture, Dr. Vasiliki Kassianidou, along with other distinguished guests.
During the ceremony, the winners of the Grand Prix and the Public Choice Award will be announced, selected from among the 30 projects awarded this year, each of which will receive a prize of €10,000. The awards ceremony will be streamed live on the Europa Nostra website.
The public is invited to learn more about the project and to take part in the online vote for the Public Choice Award 2026 via the dedicated website: https://vote.europanostra.org/. Voting is open to all and will remain active until 12 May.
This recognition marks an important milestone and confirms the value of the work carried out by Associazione Giovanni Secco Suardo in preserving and promoting the historical memory of restoration in Italy.
