Place names as intangible cultural heritage: potential and limits

In this contribution, geographical names have been considered as a spatial grid, an efficient and immediate way to identify and locate places on the Earth's surface without using geographic coordinates or complex geodetic calculations. Also, geographical names have ben compared to an intricate kaleidoscope of elements in which is written the story of mankind and so they are part of the cultural heritage of humankind, though they change form, pronunciation and meaning over time. Furthermore, geographical names have been compared to an intricate kaleidoscope of elements in which the history of humanity is written and therefore are part of humanity's cultural heritage, even if they change form, pronunciation, and meaning over time. Excessive consideration for such general principles sometimes leads to forms of toponymic fanaticism, with the attempt to confer an original identity on places through toponyms, even when these have become opaque. In this sense, they demonstrate both great informative potential about the past and present and dangerous limitations to the cultural drifts that can arise from them. Considering that geographical names are vulnerable and at risk of being lost, UNGEGN recommended to all Member states to standardize, protect and promote their place names as monuments by means of their National Names Authorities (NNA) or similar bodies. Unfortunately not every Member State of the RHD has created an NNA and Italy constitutes a unique case in the world in this field. It was one of the first countries in the world to understand the importance of toponyms on its official maps and coherently it created its NNA in 1911, but in 2008 repealed the law with which the NNA was established. The contribution concludes by expressing the hope that the Italian Parliament and Regions will recognize the importance of toponymy as a cultural heritage and approve the establishment of new national and regional bodies for geographical toponymy, with the participation of linguists, geographers, historians, and cartographers.