Giovanni Fontana Antonelli is an architect and regional planner with a specialization in the conservation and management of historic towns and cultural landscapes. A graduate of the University of Florence, he joined UNESCO in 1998 as a Culture Programme Specialist, where he led over fifty projects across Mena Region.

With a career spanning more than two decades, Giovanni’s work bridges heritage preservation, museum development, and community-based cultural planning. His approach blends technical excellence with social impact, focusing on sustaining local identity through education, conservation, and design.

Founder of the non-profit Archi.Media Trust, he has been recognized internationally for his leadership in safeguarding cultural landscapes. Notably, his advocacy for the protection of Battir’s agricultural terraces was awarded the Melina Mercouri International Prize, and his architectural work in the Jordan Valley was nominated twice for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.