Milano and the Everyday Informal: Mapping the Intangible Heritage of Italian Design

Intangible cultural heritage, particularly oral traditions, is crucial for understanding Made in Italy, yet it risks fading away without proper documentation tools. In Italian design, ideas are born not only in studios but also in informal spaces like Bar Jamaica, Plastic, Caffè Craja, and Santa Tecla—historic Milanese venues from the postwar era where designers and creatives came together to exchange ideas and experiment, shaping the evolution of Italian design. Our research explores these hidden networks, mapping the memories and relationships that have contributed to the rise of Italian design. This project, part of the Changes program (PNRR, Politecnico di Milano—Department of Design) in Spoke 2-Creativity and Intangible Cultural Heritage, aims to map the intangible heritage of design and craftsmanship. Through digital technologies, these stories and connections can be captured, recorded, and shared, creating a repository of human memories that might otherwise be lost and offering new cultural experiences accessible not only to experts in the field.