Purpose – Italy can boast a huge cultural and natural heritage but often due to lack of resources and to management dysfunctions, many sites are abandoned. Traditionally, the model of heritage management is public, but in recent years the involvement of private profit-making enterprises increased. However, private has naturally tended to focus on the more attractive “blockbuster sites”, leaving Italy’s extraordinarily widespread cultural heritage unprotected. Our work intend to contribute to this field of study by focusing on the emergence of a new logic in the cultural heritage field. Through a case study analysis we would describe the emergence of a new logic in the Italian cultural heritage field. Design/Methodology/Approach – Our research deals with projects and initiatives aimed at protecting and promoting the widespread cultural and natural heritage which has been re-functionalised, preserved and made accessible to local communities and visitors. These initiatives have applied the concepts of social innovation to the management of cultural field. The research is based on a qualitative investigation using the case study approach. The collection of empirical data is carried out using a heterogeneous plurality of instruments. The methods include: document analysis, semi-structured interviews and participant observations. Originality/value – The Italian cultural heritage is characterized by two coexistent logics: the conservation logic and the market logic. These logics did not allow the establishment of models for the efficient and effective management of cultural heritage. We can identify a new emerging logic in this field. The participation logic is the way to find new models to manage social issues. Indeed it takes shape in the context of social innovation initiatives. Social innovation could fill the gap of welfare state fulfilling the social need to promote cultural and creative initiatives. Practical implications – Downstream of the first phase of research we have defined the characteristics of social innovation initiatives related to the cultural heritage. We can, therefore, make a mapping of the organizations that respond to those characteristics. In addition to this, the research aim to identify the economic impact of the social innovation initiatives object of study in term of people employed, type of contract, amount of resources necessary for sustainability, impact on community and territory. It could become an important tool for policy makers to promote and develop new initiatives.