What is an ecomuseum and what makes the Rocca di Cerere UNESCO Global Geopark special?

In the heart of Sicily, among landscapes shaped by time, living traditions, and communities in dialogue with their own history, the Si.M.Geo. Ecomuseum System of the Rocca di Cerere UNESCO Global Geopark takes shape.
But what exactly is an ecomuseum? And why is it so important for the territory?

An Ecomuseum: A Museum Without Walls
Unlike traditional museums, an ecomuseum isn’t confined within the walls of a building, nor does it simply preserve objects in display cases. It is a diffuse, dynamic museum, immersed in the landscape and the communities that live there.
An ecomuseum tells the story of a place not only through artifacts, but through sites, practices, knowledge, and relationships.
In the case of Si.M.Geo. – Ecomuseum System of the Rocca di Cerere, the ecomuseum spans across the Rocca di Cerere UNESCO Global Geopark and the GAL Rocca di Cerere area, embracing villages, rural landscapes, geological sites, living memories, and new sustainable practices.

A Network of Nature, Culture, and Community
An ecomuseum is created to map and enhance both tangible and intangible heritage, going beyond the sum of its parts. Its approach is systemic: everything gains value in relation to something else.
In the Rocca di Cerere UNESCO Global Geopark, this means:
• Geology and landscape as the deep identity of the territory;
• Agricultural and artisanal traditions that narrate the historical relationship with the environment;
• Oral histories, festivals, and vernacular architecture as collective memory;
• Environmental education and experiential tourism as tools for the future.

The result is a living museum, shaped and transformed by those who inhabit and explore it.

A Participatory Project
The Si.M.Geo. Ecomuseum System isn’t just about promoting tourist trails or cultural events – it is designed to:
• Actively engage local communities, fostering awareness and a sense of identity;
• Educate on sustainability, emphasizing the relationship between nature and culture;
• Give value back to inner territories, often overlooked by mainstream tourism.
This project gives voice to often silent landscapes, creating connections between past and future, between those who preserve and those who discover.

A Vision for the Present (and the Future)
The Rocca di Cerere UNESCO Global Geopark ecomuseum represents a true innovation in the cultural and environmental landscape: a relational platform where every element – from ancient rocks to the stories of those who work the land – gains meaning through the connections it forms.
A museum without walls, where geology meets storytelling, farming practices meet science, and every community becomes an active protagonist in the care of its own territory.