Monocolumn: Forecast 2011: Culture Cuts Threaten Italy’s Artistic Heritage

Monocolumn is Monocle’s daily bulletin of news and opinion. Catch up with previous editions here.

Every December the elite of Italian society, dressed in fur coats and finery, gather in Milan for the season opener at La Scala. Yet before the curtain rose on this year’s performance of Wagner’s Die Wälkure – a scene that opens with symphonic thunder and lightning – another storm raged outside the famed opera house as police wielded batons and tear gas to fight off protesters.

Despite appearances, the protest was actually in support of opera as the crowd railed against proposed spending cuts by Silvio Berlusconi’s government that threaten Italy’s many cultural institutions – the country currently ranks first with 45 Unesco World Heritage sites to its credit. Inside La Scala, the protesters’ cause was taken up by conductor Daniel Barenboim, who spoke from the orchestra pit and pleaded with Italy’s president, Giorgio Napolitano, who was present, to uphold Article 9 of the country’s constitution that aims to safeguard the “historical and artistic heritage of the nation”.

Noticeably absent from proceedings was Sandro Bondi, Italy’s Culture Minister, who critics argue has been ineffective in protecting museums and archaeological sites, many of which are in need of upkeep. The most visible case of neglect is the ancient city of Pompeii, where recently a 2,000-year-old frescoed building used by gladiators crumbled after heavy rains weakened the foundations.

The event triggered public outrage and plenty of finger-pointing. Many worried about the collapse’s impact on tourism – each year Pompeii alone attracts 2.5 million visitors. The incident at Pompeii also drew attention to a disturbing trend: over the last six years, the Italian state has halved its cultural budget.

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