The construction of Cultural Heritage discourse in the present: reflections starting from World Heritage Site “Camino de Santiago de Compostela”

Reflecting on conserving Camino de Santiago de Compostela means reflecting on the fate of the cultural heritage. It means reflecting on the role which might be played in the contemporary world by intellectuals and scientists, i.e. those who built the public discourse on these themes until a few decades ago and now play a subordinate role whilst continuing to contribute to research in the various fields of conservation and heritage protection. To achive this target we must leave the material nature of the Camino to one side. There are certainly route and architecture conservation problems to be faced alongside regulating numbers of people and safeguarding the authenticity of the experience. Visitor-local people relationships might be improved; the problems facing the landscape must be faced. What I think is important here, however, is reflecting critically on the way the cultural heritage is interpreted in the contemporary world and reiterating the need to look after not just heritage’s material nature but also the discourse surrounding it. Who constructs the heritage public debate today?