The project
Cataloging and digitization have become indispensable in the cultural sphere, enabling not only preservation but also creative uses that help recover traditions and project their memory into the future.
The Connessioni 4.0 platform houses the digitized music and performance archive of the Settima Diminuita association, offering important materials—many of them previously unpublished—related to the folk traditions and musical culture of Emilia Romagna for consultation and free use. A significant portion of the archive contains scores from Emilia Romagna composers considered “minor,” whose rediscovery in recent years is thanks to the dedicated efforts of scholars and performers.One section is dedicated to Bertoldo, a key figure in the region’s popular culture, whose adventures were immortalized by Giulio Cesare Croce, a writer and storyteller from San Matteo della Decima. Another page celebrates the Gandolfi brothers, important 18th-century Bolognese painters, born in Villa Fontana, also in San Matteo della Decima.
The photo and video archive documents the association’s extensive activities, from concert organization and opera productions to art workshops for children and youth as part of the “Un Paese all’Opera” project.
This initiative was honored in 2012 with a medal from the President of the Italian Republic.
Connessioni 4.0 aims to serve as an open space for study and research, encouraging the rediscovery of a heritage too often overlooked by institutional channels. The archive also reflects innovative ideas, such as the concept of artistic volunteering, which has been central to the association’s mission since its founding in 1994. Through digitization and modern technological and communication tools, these experiences, along with all related materials, can reach a wider audience, both within Europe and beyond, forging a connection between tradition and its future trajectory.
The Connessioni 4.0 documentation archive is funded by the European Union—Next Generation EU, as part of the PNRR Digital Transition for Cultural and Creative Organizations.
