Cultural Heritage “on prescription”: heritage-led challenges for the societal wellbeing

In the past 50 years, the notion of heritage has become increasingly inclusive and connected to social challenges with a progressive shift of paradigm from an onerous sector to an effective resource fostering new strategies for the societal wellbeing. The new paradigms of culture heritage imply an act of acknowledgement based on the recognition of heritage as a proactive and creative sector that is relevant in promoting health and in contributing to societal wellbeing. However, these developments mostly remain in the form of policy recommendations, and there is still a very urgent international need for concrete scientific evidences to support this potential. A growing body of scientific studies has in fact evidenced the contribution of heritage to the promotion of good health and the prevention of a range of mental and physical health conditions.