Italian Cultural Minister Dario Franceschini announced that more than 200 historical sites across Italy will receive public funding toward much-needed restorations, saying “culture has returned to the center of national politics.” A total of 300 million euros will be split among 241 historical sites over the next three years
The restorations will include the medieval walls of Siena (2.2 million euros), the foundation of Venice (6 million euros), the Domus Aurea (13 million euros), Palazzo Venezia in Rome, and several other museums, libraries, and galleries. Several sites will also receive surveillance cameras and alarms, for an estimated cost of 50 million euros.
At the top of the list is Emperor Nero’s Roman palace, the Domus Aurea, which he commissioned in 64 A.D. as a monument to himself. The lavish and expansive palace had 300 rooms, some of which were covered in gold leaf, ivory, and semiprecious gems.
When the economy collapsed in 2007, the government slashed its cultural budget, and Italy’s treasure trove of cultural sites has suffered as a result. Though crowd-funding and private companies have attempted to fill the gap, Italy will still need more money to complete all of its desired projects. However, the new money – which is in addition to 360 million euros pledged toward restoring sites in southern Italy and 41 million euros donated by the European Union to restore Pompeii – is a welcome increase. Hopefully, all of this government money will be well spent and not affected by corruption or bureaucracy, as many restoration projects have been.
By Kathy McCabe
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