The Creative Knowledge Foundation took part in the UNESCO Creative Cities Sub-Network Meeting on Crafts and Folk Art, held in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, from February 5th to 7th, 2025. The event gathered international representatives, cultural leaders, and artisans to discuss strategies for protecting artists and cultures at risk by fostering a supportive cultural ecosystem.

The meeting featured keynote speeches from global experts in cultural heritage, including representatives from Barcelona and India, as well as a panel discussion with city mayors and UNESCO officials. High-level discussions focused on sustainable urban heritage conservation, disaster risk management, and collaborative programs to support crafts and folk arts. Participants engaged in cultural visits to craft academies and heritage sites, further reinforcing the role of traditional practices in cultural preservation.

During the meeting the CKF reaffirmed its commitment to foster creative exchanges, sustainability, and the protection of intangible cultural heritage, ensuring that traditional craftsmanship continues to thrive in an evolving global landscape.

The Creative Knowledge Foundation proudly supported Le Rotte del Pane during the  Amerigo Vespucci World Tour’s stop in Jeddah from January 27th to 30th, 2025, which celebrated the heritage of Tuscan breadmaking. Master baker Francesco Luigi Carusi, ambassador of Italian artisanal baking brought the Pan di Carrara—a bread deeply tied to the identity of Carrara’s marble workers and crafted using local grains and pasta madre, a firmer form of natural yeast. Originally, quarrymen hollowed out the bread to fill it with traditional foods, making it a symbol of resilience and culinary ingenuity.

Carusi, of Antico Mulino Pandolfo, continued a legacy that dates back to Michelangelo Buonarroti, who once stayed at this historic mill during his marble expeditions. His participation in Villaggio Italia, the multi-year traveling exhibition of Italian excellence alongside Nave Vespucci, underscored the importance of cultural preservation and sustainability.

On January 28th CKF organized the Bread Exchange event at Factory of Maison De Zaid, where bakers Younis Altewejri and Francesco Luigi Carusi came together to co-create a bread by exchanging knowledge and traditional techniques.  Le Rotte del Pane continues to promote Italian craftsmanship, sustainability, and cultural exchange to strengthen Italian cuisine’s candidacy for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status.

In January 2025, the Creative Knowledge Foundation (CKF) embarked on a journey through the cities of Saudi Arabia, starting with Taif, to explore the intricate fusion of bread culture that combined poetry and music with local traditions. Interacting with skilled bakers, CKF unraveled the unique stories and methods that wove the tapestry of the community through the art of breadmaking.

Following Taif, the Foundation visited other cities including Buraydah, Medina, and Jeddah, delving deeper into the rich cultural heritage and breadmaking traditions of each location. This project aims to celebrate and preserve the diverse bread cultures within Saudi Arabia, highlighting the connections between food, art, and community.

Currently, the Creative Cities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are participating in the new edition of Breads of the Creative Cities, further enlarging  the search of breadmaking traditions and cultural exchange in the region.

Between May 4th and 8th, the Creative Knowledge Foundation (CKF) traveled to Seattle to attend a series of BoCC (Breads of the Creative Cities) meetings with local bakers. This initiative was supported by the UNESCO Creative City of Literature of Seattle

During this visit, the CKF engaged with several prominent bakers, including:

• Alessandra Gordon of Ayako and Family: Her story highlights critical themes such as traditional knowledge, the creative evolution of tradition, resilience, heritage, immigration, and the role of women in Japanese society.
• Aldo and Angelica at Maíz: Their contributions and perspectives were invaluable to the discussions.
• Janine at WSU Breadlab: Her expertise and insights added significant value to the meetings.

These interactions provided a platform for sharing and preserving diverse bread-making traditions and aligned with CKF’s mission to uncover and celebrate the hidden routes of bread knowledge. The collaboration with the UNESCO Creative City of Literature of Seattle further enriched the cultural exchange, fostering a deeper understanding of the role of bread in various communities.

The Creative Knowledge Foundation recently conducted a Breads of the Creative Cities Meeting in Daylesford, featuring a profound discussion with Allison, the talented baker behind Two Fold Bakehouse. This event, organized by the UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy of Bendigo, provided an enriching meeting to explore the intricate techniques and cultural significance of local breadmaking.

Allison has taken a remarkable approach by substituting all foreign ingredients with local or First Nation-sourced alternatives. The grains used in her bread are derived from regenerative agriculture, and all the flour milling is exclusively done using traditional stone milling methods. This commitment to local and sustainable practices not only enhances the quality of the bread but also ensures a fully monitored and controlled value chain.

The meeting highlighted the creativity inspired by a mix of cultures, ingredients, and techniques in breadmaking. By using First Nation ingredients and traditional methods, Allison’s work embodies a beautiful blend of these influences, making her bread a true representation of the local community and the spirit of Breads of the Creative Cities.

The Creative Knowledge Foundation is delighted to share these insights and looks forward to continuing its mission of preserving and promoting the rich cultural traditions associated with breadmaking.

The City of Ballarat will host the UNESCO Creative Cities subnetwork meeting during the Ballarat Heritage Festival at the Rare Trades Centre from Friday, May 24^th to Sunday, May 26^th, 2024. The meeting will focus on the synergy between education and culture for sustainable futures. During the conference, Giuseppe Biagini, the Creative Knowledge Foundation Founder, will present two significant ongoing projects: the Crafts and Folk Art Cluster Website and the Breads of the Creative Cities Project.

The Crafts and Folk Arts website aims to serve as an operational hub for presenting and managing the Cluster. It functions as a repository for documents, facilitates their transfer between coordinators, and manages events such as cluster meetings and voting processes. The design is rooted in the principle of autonomy and independence and allows UCCs to manage their content and information independently, while the Cluster Coordinator/Secretariat  manages Cluster-specific information. During the Cluster meeting, Giuseppe Biagini will show the website link and, with the support of videos and slides, discuss the progress, Phase 1 development results, and future steps.

Regarding the Breads of the Creative Cities Project, the fourth edition of the book will be presented enriched with the new contributions from additional UCCN members and featuring a completely redesigned layout. A preview of the book can be found at https://creativeknowledge.foundation/publications/.

From April 23th to May 1st, the Creative Knowledge Foundation (CKF) was in Saudi Arabia to explore the deep cultural connections between music and bread. This journey led Giuseppe Biagini, the CKF Founder, to Aseer – a city surrounded by the captivating scents of spices, colors, and magical mountain landscapes, where unique breads and grains are produced, and ancient traditions – like cultivating indigenous corn on terraced mountainsides – thrive. The Foundation also visited Jazam, known for its musical heritage that reflects an ancient view of culture, where music and food were intertwined. Music and bread have the power to transcend linguistic and cultural barriers, forming integral parts of global cultures. Each culture’s unique music and bread-making traditions narrate stories of community, identity, and enduring creativity. This visit represented a special opportunity to celebrate the rich cultural interplay between music and bread in Saudi Arabia.

The Creative Knowledge Foundation (CKF) played a significant role in the International Craft Summit (Jan 12-14, 2024) in Jajpur, a culturally rich region of India. The summit served as a beacon for cultural heritage, artistic expression, and global collaboration, providing CKF with an ideal platform to showcase its commitment to a global craft renaissance. Set against Jajpur’s historical tapestry, the event drew diverse participants, including UNESCO Creative Cities, NGOs, and local organizations. CKF actively engaged with them and emphasized the paramount importance of preserving traditional crafts in today’s dynamic global landscape. Founder Giuseppe Biagini delivered a speech during the session “Beyond Borders, Beyond Boundaries: Collaborations for a Global Craft Renaissance,” passionately elaborating on CKF’s work and presenting case histories that underscored the foundation’s dedication to revitalize global traditional crafts. CKF’s dynamic participation emphasized its commitment to be a significant force in preserving, promoting, and rejuvenating traditional crafts worldwide.

In a collaborative effort, the Creative Knowledge Foundation, UNESCO-International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) and the Italian UNESCO Creative City Coordination Office and Focal Points united to conduct a transformative course in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Tailored for local government, universities, nonprofits, and civil society, the course immersed participants in the UNESCO Creative City Network (UCCN) program, empowering the participants to craft impactful candidacy dossiers. The program, comprising of online seminars and hands-on workshops, ensured a holistic learning experience. With a focus on the seven creative clusters recognized by UNESCO (Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music) the course aimed to fortify international collaboration and enhance local sustainable development strategies. This visionary collaboration builds upon a course initiated in 2022, marking a significant step toward fostering Saudi Arabia’s creative prowess on the global stage.

On November 23th, the Founder of the Creative Knowledge Foundation Giuseppe Biagini was invited to the workshop “In Puglia il Cibo è Cultura“. The Foundation presented the Breads of the Creative Cities project together with its evolutions Fermate del Pane and Le Rotte del Pane, as case studies. The workshop, which focuses on the link between food and culture, aims to raise awareness among local stakeholders about strategies for the development and the application of successful best practices in enogastronomy and gastronomic tourism in the region of Puglia. The day concluded with stakeholders expressing interest in the projects developed by the Foundation.

“Le Rotte del Pane” takes center stage at Genoa International Boat Show 2023! On September 25th, “Le Rotte del Pane” team, hosted by the Istituto Idrografico della Marina and Università di Genova, presented their collaborative project during a ceremonial send-off. This initiative, a partnership between KOOR srl Benefit Company and the Italian Navy, aims to showcase Italian excellence worldwide through the art of breadmaking and traditional knowledge sharing. The project embodies values of cultural exchange, inclusivity, sustainability, and environmental conservation, perfectly aligning with our foundation’s mission to foster global positivity.

On September 20th to 22nd, at the RemTech Expo 2023 event in Ferrara (italy) KOOR srl Benefit Corporation in coordination with the Italian Navy officially announced ‘Le Rotte del Pane’ project as part of the Vespucci Ship’s world tour.
The event featured the participation of the Creative Knowledge Foundation, the National Institute of Bread Tasters (INAP), and independent bakers who baked and offered fresh Bread to guests at a dedicated booth throughout the fair, expanding into the stories, the traditions, and the creativity associated with the Italian Bread.

On the occasion of the annual celebration on August 10, 2023, in honor and remembrance of the birth of Father Eusebio Chini, the Padre Eusebio F. Chini Cultural Association, in collaboration with KOOR srl Benefit Corporation and Creative Knowledge Foundation, is organizing a simultaneous event in the three cities of the world deeply connected to Padre Kino: Segno, Tucson and Magdalena.

The event, titled “The Miracle of Padre Kino“, aims to narrate how the wheat that Padre Kino brought to Pimeria in the 1600s represented a fundamental addition to the sources of nourishment for the native populations encountered during the missions. It also highlights how Sonora White Wheat is still cultivated and used in the southern United States and northern Mexico today.

During the boot camp focused on gastro-diplomacy organized by the Future Food Institute in Pollica (Italy), the cradle of Mediterranean Diet, Giuseppe Biagini, the founder of the Creative Knowledge Foundation, presented the foundation’s projects, the collaboration with UNESCO Creative Cities, and the methodology employed in the development of territorial initiatives. The boot camp aimed to investigate the potential of creativity and culinary activism in transforming food systems for comprehensive ecological progress. Particularly noteworthy is the pivotal role of chefs and cooks as undercover catalysts for change, possessing the capacity to shape the society through their culinary choices.

On July 2nd, the Creative Knowledge Foundation and KOOR srl Benefit Corporation, in the context of the ‘Sagra della Cipolla dolce di Piagnona e Fiera dell’agricoltura‘ event in Sesta Godano, Italy, presented the Rurality Hub project.
During the event, Giuseppe Biagini and KOOR srl Benefit Corporation, represented by Elisabetta del Soldato and Mirco Sozzi, introduced Rurality Hub to Mayors, institutions, and local associations. This is a territorial development project that focuses on the potential, local agricultural know-how, and productions with the aim of increasing the attractiveness of the area while preserving the culture and traditions that characterize the Upper Val di Vara.

The “Panificio Mobile” project is a collaborative effort between the KOOR srl Benefit Corporation, the Creative Knowledge Foundation, and the Francesca Rava Foundation. With support from the Civil Protection for logistics and the expertise of the Francesca Rava Foundation, a Mobile Bakery was established in Lugo di Romagna, following a successful model previously used in emergency situations in Haiti, Honduras, and Guatemala.
The primary objective of the Mobile Bakery was to provide free bread, focaccia, and other baked goods to the flood-affected population, supporting 9 Civil Protection dining facilities located in the hardest-hit areas and ensuring food for over 4,000 people daily, producing in 14 days more than 75,000 loaves of breads and focaccias. The Mobile Bakery was fully equipped for round-the-clock baking, thanks to the collaboration of 18 dedicated volunteer bakers led by Marco Randon, who were committed to supplying fresh, quality products to aid in the support and recovery of the affected communities.

Giuseppe Biagini, founder of the Creative Knowledge Foundation, has been invited by Jinju Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art to write an article published in the International Journal Of Crafts And Folk Arts.
After the visit of the Creative Knowledge Foundation to the city of Jinju, Republic of Korea, the relationship between the two realities is gradually strengthening.
In this spirit, Giuseppe Biagini was invited to talk about his own work and that of the Creative Knowledge Foundation, presenting it and explaining how to achieve and implement its mission through the model “The Future? Is under your feet!” and the Creative Knowledge Platform digital tool.

The Creative Knowledge Foundation, thanks to the collaboration of the UNESCO Creative City of Jinju, on occasion of the Crafts and Folk Art sub-network Annual Meeting, lands in the Republic of Korea to present the Breads of the Creative Cities (BoCC) project. Bread and creativity will be the driver to a new collaboration with the Korean UCCs.The Creative Knowledge Foundation will meet and interview a traditional local baker discovering Han Gwa, a new local recipe and bread preparation technique, which will be shared through the Creative Knowledge Platform and included in the 4th Edition of the Bread of the Creative Cities e-book. Jinju UNESCO Creative City will support Breads of the Creative Cities by further promoting the project within the other Creative Cities in the Republic of Korea.

Istanbul, Host City of the XV UNESCO Creative Cities Network’s Annual Conference, has been the stage for the Creative Knowledge Foundation to present the future initiatives for the development of the Breads of the Creative Cities project, that will be characterized by new highlights:

• A specific sub-projects dedicated to all the Turkish UNESCO Creative Cities: “Breads of the Creative Cities” builder of social cohesion and mutual respect (UN2030 SDG 11)
• During UCCN XV a series of events will be organized for attendees: round table with delegates and local bakers of the participating UCCs; presentation of the first results of the specific sub-project; itineraries to visit to local bakeries…
• A dedicated booklet related to Istanbul’s farmers, millers and bakers
• A dedicated booklet describing the different bread traditions of the 7 UNESCO Creative City from Turkey.
• A new “Breads of the Creative Cities” interactive book in printed format and presented to the UCCN XV participants.

The Creative Knowledge Foundation traveled to Turkey in September to present the Breads of the Creative Cities (BoCC) project to Istanbul, UNESCO Creative City of Design and discuss its extension for the UCCN XV in 2023 with the publication of an updated version of the book.
We visited two bakeries Papatya Cafe and Bakery and Halk Ekmek Bread Factory that have a strong relation to the territory, because they buy grains from local suppliers and farms nearby the city of Istanbul, and allow economic growth for small farmers and millers – the living keepers of Creative Knowledge.
Afterwards, we participated to the ULUSLARARASI GASTRONOMI FESTIVALI in Gaziantep, Turkey (15-18 September 2022) that included numerous activities and meetings with the involvement of many delegates from the UNESCO Creative Cities and Delice Network.
On September 17 we had the pleasure and honor of participating to the panel session “Creativity and Innovation: major issue of urban policies?” and discuss the BoCC project and its most recent developments.

CK Foundation participated to the “Foro Ciudades Creativas de Norteamérica” held in Querétaro, Mexico (August 11-13, 2022) and presented the Bread of the Creative Cities Project to the 25 participating countries. The video is available on our youtube channel at the following link.

The forum highlighted the importance of the Creative Cities and their projects, and their contribution to the network through the exchange of ideas, traditions and knowledge. These aspects of cooperation are at the basis of the UNESCO Creative Cities that work together to exchange good practices and support each other in achieving the sustainability goals set by UN 2030 Agenda.

The Breads of the Creative Cities project has now opened the call to new bakers, farmers and millers for the 2023 edition.

Also this year, CK Foundation participated in the UNESCO Annual Conference dedicated to the Creative Cities Network, which took place in Santos, Brazil. The Conference was an important opportunity to disseminate the results of the third edition of the Project “Breads of Creative Cities”, and to exchange knowledges and create synergies among the participants thanks to the several subcluster meetings. The appreciations and the adhesions collected mark the beginning of a new phase for the project, with the aim to continue to discover and tell the traditions of the bread making throughout the UNESCO network.
You can discover the project on the Creative Knowledge Platform, implemented by Koor srl Società Benefit, the CK Foundation technology partner, and in the new edition of the book.

Is now available the preview of the 2022 edition of the book Breads of the Creative Cities.

The book is the result of the third edition of the homonymous project, which has brought together, through the most common staple food in the world and its value chain, more than 100 Knowledge Keepers and UNESCO Creative Cities from around the world, across all the 7 clusters of this UNESCO Network.

The call to participate in the third edition of the project was officially opened!
The third edition of the project will be characterized by new highlights:

• Multiple Knowledge Keepers from each UCC can participate (previous editions only one per UCC);
• To honor the Film Cluster, please prepare a video interview of your local Knowledge Keeper(s) who

During the XIV UCCN Annual Meeting in Santos, the results will be presented through a round table opened to all the Creative Cities!
We thank Design Cluster for their support and project’s promotion!
Go to our official website, by clicking below, and discover how to participate!

CREATIVE KNOWLEDGE PLATFORM FOR TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE WORLD BANK

On March 24th, 2022 ITKI US, supported by CK Foundation, attended the “BTT – Basilicata Blue Transition” event at Expo 2020 Dubai and presented the format “The Future. . . Is under your feet. The role of Traditional Knowledge as a driver for resilient and sustainable development”.The talk focused on Information Technology contribution to a sustainable and resilient growth of a territory and marked the beginning of a collaboration between ITKI and ITKI US to develop a digital platform (“Creative Knowledge Platform (CKP) for Traditional Knowledge World Bank (TKWB)”) that integrates the TKWB encyclopedic knowledge with the project management capabilities of the CKP to develop innovative heritage-based solutions for a more sustainable development of resilient communities.
The platform “CKP for TKWB” was implemented by Koor srl Società Benefit, ITKI US technology partner.

The project support the SDGs: 4-12-17

On March 17th, 2022 CK Foundation together with Koor srl Benefit Corporation presented its ongoing projects and the format “The Future…is under your feet” to the students of the Master in Food City Design, University of Parma in order to provide them with ideas for their future internships.
CK Foundation offered the students two different paths for their internships: a direct collaboration with the CK Foundation and with Koor srl Benefit Corporation on their worldwide ongoing projects or the possibility for students to present their projects for which CK Foundation will provide mentorship.

THE FORMAT “THE FUTURE … IS UNDER YOUR FEET” TO FAVOR THE TRANSMISSION OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE OF A COMMUNITY INTO FUTURE GENERATIONS

The city of Portoviejo, a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy since 2019, is located in Ecuador.
Between March 5th and March 13th, 2022 CK Foundation was invited to visit the city in order to meet the local communities and to set up a development plan for the region with the collaboration of the Municipality of Portoviejo, Portoviejo Creative City UNESCO, and the University of Manabì.
During his visit Giuseppe Biagini, founder of CK Foundation, in partnership with the Municipality of Portoviejo and Portoviejo Creative City Unesco delivered 30 certifications as “Guardianes del Conocimiento del Patrimonio Cultural Inmaterial Alimentario de Portoviejo” to chefs, cooks and farmers.
Several other meetings followed to set up a development plan for the region within the objectives of Portoviejo, UNESCO Creative City application dossier by using the format “The Future…is under your feet”.
In the next few months the CK Foundation and Koor srl Benefit Corporation will work together with the Municipality of Portoviejo, Portoviejo Creative City UNESCO, and the University of Manabì to create a narrative around the people, ingredients and traditional recipes of the region using the Creative Knowledge Platform. The long-term goal of the entire project is to restore an ancient building hit by the earthquake in 2016 and build an innovative gastronomic laboratory, where students, chefs and farmers can work together in order to keep the ancient gastronomic traditions of this city alive.

In November 2021 Como was designated a UNESCO Creative City in Crafts and Folk Arts and its application dossier included 6 projects (3 local projects and 3 International projects) for which the production and manufacturing of silk is the main driver for sustainable development.
Among those International projects CK Foundation, member of Como UCC Steering Committee, supports and promotes “Creative Patterns”, a multi-cluster project dedicated to cultural creativity, inclusion, and welfare.

“THE FUTURE? IT IS UNDER YOUR FEET!” MODEL TO FAVOUR THE TRANSMISSION OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE OF A COMMUNITY INTO FUTURE GENERATIONS

On October 26th, 2021 was held the first edition of “Belo Horizonte international food and gastronomy season”. During the session focused on “Gastronomy, intangible heritage to think about the future”, Mr. Biagini was presented the model “The future? It is under your feet!” and the four steps to apply it (mapping the territory, local heritage + storytelling – heri-telling, learning-by-doing and fieldworks, and outcome: locally-defined, sustainable and resilient ideas, projects and models for local development). The aim of the model is to favour the transmission of traditional knowledge of a community into future generations for a responsible growth and an inclusive and sustainable development with in the frame of the Faro Convention and the UN2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
During the presentation, case studies in collaboration with the UNESCO creative cities and various cities in Italy was be presented for each step, some of these still in progress.

On October 24th, 2021, was held the “ARTISANAL CHEESES: ARTISAN CHEESE PRODUCERS AS AMBASSADORS OF LOCAL CREATIVITY” round table. The conference (in the international framework of the 6th FORME event) focused on the “Artisanal Cheeses” project, one of the 6 initiatives proposed by the Municipality of Bergamo to UNESCO to obtain the nomination ‘Bergamo-Cheese Valleys UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy’ and carried out in synergy with the Creative Knowledge Foundation (CKF) and the Association “The Cheese Valleys”.
During the conference, panel Bergamo Creative City announced to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, cluster Gastronomy, the general availability of the platform “Artisanal Cheeses” to any local, national and international cheese maker.
During the panel local experts and practitioners talked about their work and how “Artisanal Cheeses” can help present and promote their work.

The forum included three days of conferences and roundtables to which institutional representatives of the Municipality of Carrara, the 11 Italian UNESCO Creative Cities and the UNESCO Creative City of Paducah (via Zoom) participated. The highlights of the forum were the roundtable discussions about the “Carrara Charter” and the “Carrara Declaration”.
The first one includes guidelines and actions for the urban regeneration and sustainable development of the city; the second one, promoted by CKF and the Municipality of Carrara, focuses on six priorities that recognize artists and artisans as contributors to the regeneration and development of cities.
The Carrara Declaration was signed by the Creative Cities of Fabriano, Biella and Carrara and will be shared with the entire UCC Network for adoption, integration and extensions.

THE HANDS AT WORK PROJECT OPENS AN INTERNATIONAL CALL TO ALL THE UNESCO CREATIVE CITIES TO USE THE CREATIVE KNOWLEDGE PLATFORM FOR HIGHLIGHTING THEIR ARTISTS AND ARTISANS

On September 23, 2021 the premiere of the movie “Hands at Work”  (dedicated to 9 different artists and artisans that work in Carrara) was shown at the “Ponte di Ferro” laboratory. The evening was attended by institutional representatives, as well as artists, students and visitors. During the event the TRusT® team provided support and information to artists and artisans interested in joining the project.
On October 25, 2021 Giuseppe Biagini, CK Foundation, officially announced the opening of the project to all the UNESCO Creative Cities.

Food Film Fest combines the best film productions dedicated to food in the world.
During the talk dedicated to bread “Il buono, il vecchio e il recuperato” and how not to waste it, the projects Breads of the Creative Cities and its special edition in response to COVID 19 – Breads from Creative Cities – were highlighted
The two projects invite bread artisans, millers and farmers to narrate their traditions and show their art of making bread.