The restoration project is funded by Italian Cooperation.
The Aruch archaeological site, a key complex along the Silk Road and one of Armenia’s most significant cultural heritage sites, was the focus of a recent conference in Yerevan organized under the patronage of the Italian Embassy. The event highlighted the site’s historical importance, ongoing restoration efforts, plans for its conversion into a museum, and broader prospects for enhancement through Italian-Armenian cultural cooperation.
Attendees included prominent figures such as Sergio Ferdinandi, Vice President of the International Association of Mediterranean and Oriental Studies (ISME) and Project Coordinator for Aruch; Ambassador Alessandro Ferranti; Alfred Kocharyan, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport of Armenia; Davit Poghosyan, Director of the Museum of Armenian History; and Arsen Bobokhyan and Nazeni Gharibyan, Directors of the Department of Medieval Studies at Matenadaran.
Italy, through its Agency for Development Cooperation, is funding the Arc-He-Tour-Dev project (Archaeological Heritage and Tourism for Rural Development in Armenia). This initiative forms part of a wider international discourse on leveraging cultural heritage as a strategic factor for sustainable rural development.
Three leading Italian institutions are participating in the project: ISME, the University of Florence (overall project coordinator), and the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence, working on the Aruch, Dvin, and Garni sites respectively. The project emphasizes not only the protection and conservation of Armenia’s cultural heritage but also its active restitution to the community—through improved site legibility, high-quality visitor experiences, and the fostering of connections between historical memory and contemporary life. This approach aims to enhance both tourism and socio-economic development in the region.
Other participants included Astghik Babajanyan, Co-Director of the joint excavations; Giuseppina Cinque and Daniele Sansoni from Tor Vergata University of Rome; and Antonio Mesisca, CEO of ArcheoServizi. The conference concluded with remarks from Harutyun Vanyan, Head of the Department for the Conservation of Historical and Cultural Monuments.
Following the conference, Ambassador Ferranti attended the inauguration of new tourist information panels at Aruch, designed to improve accessibility, raise awareness of the site’s historical and artistic value, and support tourism development.
Overall, the initiative reflects a shared commitment to innovative cultural cooperation, placing Armenia’s historical, artistic, and architectural heritage at the center of sustainable development, intercultural dialogue, and regional growth.
