1. What are cookies
Cookies are small text files that the websites visited send to the user's device (computer, tablet, smartphone), where they are stored and then sent back to the same websites on the next visit. Cookies are used for different purposes: technical, statistical analysis, personalisation and marketing.
Pursuant to the decision of the Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante Privacy) of 10 June 2021, cookies are divided into technical cookies (which do not require consent) and non-technical / profiling cookies (which require explicit prior consent).
2. Types of cookies used
This portal uses technical session and security cookies, strictly necessary for the service to work: for these cookies, under the applicable rules, the user's prior consent is not required. Tools that are not strictly necessary (statistics with Google Analytics 4, Meta Pixel, embedded YouTube and Vimeo videos, Google Maps) are enabled only with prior consent, by category, as described below. Before the user makes a choice, none of these services is loaded.
In particular:
- Session cookies: ensure correct navigation and access to the reserved areas (login).
- Security cookies: prevent Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks.
- Technical preference cookies: store functional choices (e.g. cookie banner acceptance, dark/light theme) to improve the user experience.
Statistical analysis cookies (Google Analytics 4, provided by Google Ireland Limited): they are used only if the user consents to the «Analytics» category in the cookie banner, with anonymised IP address and without advertising signals. Without consent, no Google Analytics script is loaded.
Marketing cookies (“Marketing” category): the Meta Pixel (Meta Platforms Ireland Limited), when enabled by the site owner, measures page views (only the PageView event); the embedded YouTube (Google Ireland Limited) and Vimeo (Vimeo, Inc.) videos in the agencies' blog may set their own cookies. Both are loaded only if the user consents to the “Marketing” category: without consent, a preview with a cover image served from our own domain appears instead of the video, with no contact with YouTube or Vimeo, and the Meta Pixel is not loaded.
Cookies are not used for:
- profiling or marketing without prior consent;
- advertising retargeting based on data collected without consent;
- social media (active sharing buttons).
3. Cookie details
| Name | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
portal_sessionid |
Maintains the session of the showcase user area (portal login, saved preferences) | Browser session (or up to 2 weeks if “remember me”) | Technical |
csrftoken |
CSRF security token (anti Cross-Site Request Forgery) | 1 year | Technical (security) |
portal_theme |
Stores the theme preference (light/dark) selected by the user | 1 year | Technical (preferences) |
rec_cookie_consent_v1 |
Stores the cookie consent choice (accepted categories, version, date) | 180 days | Technical (preferences) |
_ga, _ga_* |
Google Analytics 4: distinguishes visitors and aggregates portal usage statistics | Up to 13 months | Analytics (with consent only) |
_fbp, _fbc |
Meta Pixel (if enabled): links visits to the campaign of origin; records page views only | Up to 90 days | Marketing (with consent only) |
Cookie di YouTube e Vimeo |
Set by the player of the video embedded in the agencies' blog, only after consent or the choice “Just this once” on that video | According to the providers' policies | Marketing (with consent only) |
Cookie di Google Maps |
Set by Google when Google Maps is loaded instead of the Esri/ArcGIS cartographic maps | According to Google's policy | Preferences (with consent only) |
The technical cookies listed above have the Secure (in production HTTPS), HttpOnly and SameSite=Lax security attributes to reduce the risks of interception, XSS and CSRF.
4. How to manage cookies
Users can at any time manage their cookie preferences directly from their browser. Disabling technical cookies, however, may make it impossible to access some features of the portal (in particular the reserved areas).
Official instructions for the main browsers:
5. Cookies and third-party services
The portal may integrate content from third-party services (e.g. interactive Leaflet maps with Esri/ArcGIS map tiles and, for the 3D view, OpenFreeMap). These services do not use cookies but may collect aggregated information about usage (e.g. IP address to serve the maps). Google Maps maps (satellite and street view, Google Ireland Limited) are loaded only if the user consents to the «Preferences» category: without consent the portal uses only the Esri/ArcGIS maps. Fonts and visualisation libraries (3D maps, charts) are served by our own servers and not by external services. Preferences can be reviewed or withdrawn at any time through the «Manage cookies» link in the page footer and on this page; when consent to statistical analysis is withdrawn, any Google Analytics cookies already present in the browser are removed.
Embedded videos (YouTube, Google Ireland Limited; Vimeo, Vimeo, Inc.): in the agencies' blog the video loads only after consent to the “Marketing” category or with the choice “Just this once”, valid for that video on that page and without being saved. Meta Pixel (Meta Platforms Ireland Limited), if enabled: only with “Marketing” consent. These providers may also process data outside the European Economic Area (in particular in the United States), on the basis of the transfer mechanisms stated in their own policies. With “Just this once” and with “Always” the user can load a single service without changing the other choices; when a category is withdrawn, the related cookies (_ga*, _gid, _gat, _fbp, _fbc) are deleted from the browser and the page offers to reload so that scripts already started are stopped.
Any server-side application error monitoring tools (e.g. Sentry) operate without cookies and with PII anonymisation by default.
6. Changes to this policy
This policy may be updated in the event of technical or regulatory changes. Users are invited to consult it periodically. The date of the last update is shown at the top of the page.
For the processing of personal data, please also see our privacy notice.
Version 1.2 — 31 October 2026