سه شنبه ۲۷ شهریور ۰۳ | ۲۰:۵۲ ۷ بازديد
50
main international studies. In detail, macro-domains that refer to the cultural and creative industries (CCI) have
been defined as follow: Architecture and design, Communication, Audiovisual and music, Video games and
software, Book and Press, while those relating to the Performing arts and arts visual art and the historical and
artistic heritage are defined as cultural and creative sectors (CCS).
Different authorities lead the Italian regulatory system for cultural industries, while ministries and public bodies
develop policies, strategies and measures with a different level of coordination. Different government
authorities govern the CCI: the press sector is governed by the Publishing Department at the Presidency of the
Council of Ministers, just as the rules relating to radio and video broadcasting are the responsibility of the
Presidency of the Council and the Parliament. The Ministry of Culture governs the Film and Audiovisual sector
like other cultural and creative sectors at national level while the activities abroad are the result of actions by
both the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Latter acts through the Agency for
Development Cooperation and the Italian Cultural Institutes, peripheral offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Authority also regulates the Communication sector for Communications (AGCOM). The Ministry of Culture
regularly finances activities for the promotion and dissemination of Italian cultural products by supporting
international festivals in various sectors (Film, Publishing, Television, Live Entertainment). Through a specific
programme called the Boarding Pass, The Ministry of Culture promotes the dissemination, co-production and
hospitality of Italian live show projects at an international level. The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation
supports heritage protection and conservation projects in various countries of the world using skills and
technologies developed in Italy.
It can therefore be summarized that the main Italian strategies for the cultural and creative industries is to
support the production of cultural contents, to support the distribution in Italy and abroad of Italian productions
and to support the diffusion of Italian and European productions in Italy and abroad. The policies are developed
through regulations aimed at financing the activities of the cultural industries directly by grants and indirectly by
different systems: tax credits and purchase facilitations for certain categories of users: 18Apps for students, the
Teachers’ Charter for teaching staff of the schools etc. In recent years, attention to new forms of dissemination of
cultural products has been progressively increasing.
Through the service agreement, signed in April 2017, between RAI (the Italian public broadcaster) and the
Presidency of the Council of Ministers, RAI has to provide television and film content through a digi
main international studies. In detail, macro-domains that refer to the cultural and creative industries (CCI) have
been defined as follow: Architecture and design, Communication, Audiovisual and music, Video games and
software, Book and Press, while those relating to the Performing arts and arts visual art and the historical and
artistic heritage are defined as cultural and creative sectors (CCS).
Different authorities lead the Italian regulatory system for cultural industries, while ministries and public bodies
develop policies, strategies and measures with a different level of coordination. Different government
authorities govern the CCI: the press sector is governed by the Publishing Department at the Presidency of the
Council of Ministers, just as the rules relating to radio and video broadcasting are the responsibility of the
Presidency of the Council and the Parliament. The Ministry of Culture governs the Film and Audiovisual sector
like other cultural and creative sectors at national level while the activities abroad are the result of actions by
both the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Latter acts through the Agency for
Development Cooperation and the Italian Cultural Institutes, peripheral offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Authority also regulates the Communication sector for Communications (AGCOM). The Ministry of Culture
regularly finances activities for the promotion and dissemination of Italian cultural products by supporting
international festivals in various sectors (Film, Publishing, Television, Live Entertainment). Through a specific
programme called the Boarding Pass, The Ministry of Culture promotes the dissemination, co-production and
hospitality of Italian live show projects at an international level. The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation
supports heritage protection and conservation projects in various countries of the world using skills and
technologies developed in Italy.
It can therefore be summarized that the main Italian strategies for the cultural and creative industries is to
support the production of cultural contents, to support the distribution in Italy and abroad of Italian productions
and to support the diffusion of Italian and European productions in Italy and abroad. The policies are developed
through regulations aimed at financing the activities of the cultural industries directly by grants and indirectly by
different systems: tax credits and purchase facilitations for certain categories of users: 18Apps for students, the
Teachers’ Charter for teaching staff of the schools etc. In recent years, attention to new forms of dissemination of
cultural products has been progressively increasing.
Through the service agreement, signed in April 2017, between RAI (the Italian public broadcaster) and the
Presidency of the Council of Ministers, RAI has to provide television and film content through a digi
سه شنبه ۲۷ شهریور ۰۳ | ۲۰:۵۱ ۶ بازديد
Equality was established by
the Ministry of Culture in 2021. It will be dedicated to the survey, study and dissemination of data on gender
gaps, which play a fundamental role in influencing social awareness.
To encourage private subjects to pay more attention to gender issues, a possible tool is to condition public
funding to transparency in the “gender-policy” (overall workforce, top positions, salaries, etc.) of the requesting
organizations. A measure of this type is contained in the Audiovisual Law promoted by the Minister of Culture
Franceschini (Law 220/2016) through specific incentives to producers who contract female directors and authors.
Some best practices, implemented by public and private subjects in the cultural field, are also worth mentioning:
The campaign #8marzoalmuseo, launched in 2016 by the MiC, aimed at celebrating women artists and
historic characters as well as promoting women’s cultural participation trough free entrance in state owned
museums on the 8th of March;
The Female Toponymy Association since 2012 puts pressure on local administrations so that street names
also remember women in history (at the moment they are only 5% of the total) and invests in school
projects;
The Association Amleta, an inter-sectoral feminist collective that focuses on the presence of women in the
world of performing arts, on the representation of women in classical and contemporary drama, and acts
as a vigilant and constant watchdog to identify and combat violence and harassment in the workplace.
2.5.6. DISABILITY
The normative framework for addressing disability issues has been broadly outlined in chapter 2.2., and may be
defined as the most comprehensive by far in terms of promoting accessibility for audiences “with special needs”.
Efforts to provide a broad overview of an often fragmented cultural offer have also been made in the past few
years, as shown by the following two examples:
The A.D. Arte portal, funded by the Ministry of Culture - DG Museums, provides information on the
accessibility features of national museums and archaeological areas[1];
36
The MAPS project, launched in 2018 by ENS - Ente Nazionale Sordi (National Agency for the Deaf) and co-
financed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy[2], aims to create an online platform for showcasing
museums/cultural sites with accessibility services for deaf people[3], to organise training courses on
museum accessibility across Italy for deaf young people (aged 18-35), and to build a network for effective
cooperation between public administrations, arts institutions and non-profit organisations.
Both in terms of policies and practices, however, the focus is still predominantly on removing barriers – whether
they be physical, sensory or cognitive – rather than on promoting the creative potential of persons with
disabilities. As a matter of fact, the increasing claim of the latter to be engaged as cultural actors and decision-
makers, rather than as passive “users” of mainstream services and tools (e.g. sign language / tactile tours, Braille
labels, easy-to-read guides), is by far the most interesting development of the past few years in the heritage
sector.
A couple of examples in line with this audience-led shift in perspectives:
MAXXI – National Museum of 21st century Arts launched a participatory project called “Mixt”[4] in
collaboration with ENS, the Italian Union of Blind and Visually Impaired People, and the National Federation
of Pro-Blind Institutions. A team of deaf and visually impaired people with different educational
backgrounds, museum professionals and IT experts developed narrative trails to help all visitors discover
MAXXI’s architecture from new perspectives.
Another interesting interactive project, “Ocean Space”, addresses the difficult issue of sign language
glossaries through an unusual lens[5]. Curated by a museum accessibility expert in collaboration with ENS,
its goal is to create a shared glossary of signs relating to the oceans and climate emergency by actively
involving the Italian deaf community, and with the scientific support of the Institute of Marine Sciences.
The National Recovery and Resilience Plan recently presented by Italy is aimed to remove architectural, sensory
and cognitive barriers in museums, libraries and archives, as well as to promote a “culture of accessibility”
(Mission 1) also through the training of qualified personnel. This initiative is likely to have a significant impact on
the heritage sector and its ability to address the “special needs” of persons with disabilities, although a radical
shift in mentality is still needed to deal with the equally important issues of representation, new interpretive
perspectives and staff diversity.
In this respect, theatre has traditionally been far more groundbreaking and experimental.
[1] https://www.accessibilitamusei.beniculturali.it/en/site/index
[2] https://progettomaps.ens.it
[3] https://www.accessibitaly.it/en/
[4] https://www.mixt.it/
[5] https://www.ocean-space.org/it/education/abecedarium-lis
37
2.6. Culture and social inclusion
Social inclusion is a distinctive cultural policy issue in Italy. However, it is pursued through initiatives mostly
characterized by a fragmented, bottom-up approach, and it is still poorly investigated by social and statistical
surveys.
A few initiatives are indeed promoted by the State, like “Take part!”, a call by the Ministry of Culture in favor of
the marginal and peripheral areas of the country[1]. Another example is Theatre in prison programs, which are
strongly supported by the Ministry of Justice.
A growing number of individual initiatives, carried out separately or jointly by Regional and local authorities,
associations of the Third Sector, public, and private cultural organizations, pursue social inclusion via cultural
participation and engagement. In some instances, they are supported by UE funding programs (such as Creative
Europe or Structural Funds)[2]. On the other hand, private foundations, like Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione
Cariplo, Fondazione Unipol, and others, support both financially and technically many initiatives[3].
Museums, libraries, and theatre companies are particularly active in this direction. As also described in other
sections of the report (eg. see chapter 2.5.6), they typically address disadvantaged groups, such as the targets
listed below, to which specific projects are dedicated.
Children, adolescents, and young people in conditions of educational poverty[4].
People with moderate to severe physical, sensorial, or cognitive limitations[5].
People with degenerative conditions (like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s), and their
the Ministry of Culture in 2021. It will be dedicated to the survey, study and dissemination of data on gender
gaps, which play a fundamental role in influencing social awareness.
To encourage private subjects to pay more attention to gender issues, a possible tool is to condition public
funding to transparency in the “gender-policy” (overall workforce, top positions, salaries, etc.) of the requesting
organizations. A measure of this type is contained in the Audiovisual Law promoted by the Minister of Culture
Franceschini (Law 220/2016) through specific incentives to producers who contract female directors and authors.
Some best practices, implemented by public and private subjects in the cultural field, are also worth mentioning:
The campaign #8marzoalmuseo, launched in 2016 by the MiC, aimed at celebrating women artists and
historic characters as well as promoting women’s cultural participation trough free entrance in state owned
museums on the 8th of March;
The Female Toponymy Association since 2012 puts pressure on local administrations so that street names
also remember women in history (at the moment they are only 5% of the total) and invests in school
projects;
The Association Amleta, an inter-sectoral feminist collective that focuses on the presence of women in the
world of performing arts, on the representation of women in classical and contemporary drama, and acts
as a vigilant and constant watchdog to identify and combat violence and harassment in the workplace.
2.5.6. DISABILITY
The normative framework for addressing disability issues has been broadly outlined in chapter 2.2., and may be
defined as the most comprehensive by far in terms of promoting accessibility for audiences “with special needs”.
Efforts to provide a broad overview of an often fragmented cultural offer have also been made in the past few
years, as shown by the following two examples:
The A.D. Arte portal, funded by the Ministry of Culture - DG Museums, provides information on the
accessibility features of national museums and archaeological areas[1];
The MAPS project, launched in 2018 by ENS - Ente Nazionale Sordi (National Agency for the Deaf) and co-
financed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy[2], aims to create an online platform for showcasing
museums/cultural sites with accessibility services for deaf people[3], to organise training courses on
museum accessibility across Italy for deaf young people (aged 18-35), and to build a network for effective
cooperation between public administrations, arts institutions and non-profit organisations.
Both in terms of policies and practices, however, the focus is still predominantly on removing barriers – whether
they be physical, sensory or cognitive – rather than on promoting the creative potential of persons with
disabilities. As a matter of fact, the increasing claim of the latter to be engaged as cultural actors and decision-
makers, rather than as passive “users” of mainstream services and tools (e.g. sign language / tactile tours, Braille
labels, easy-to-read guides), is by far the most interesting development of the past few years in the heritage
sector.
A couple of examples in line with this audience-led shift in perspectives:
MAXXI – National Museum of 21st century Arts launched a participatory project called “Mixt”[4] in
collaboration with ENS, the Italian Union of Blind and Visually Impaired People, and the National Federation
of Pro-Blind Institutions. A team of deaf and visually impaired people with different educational
backgrounds, museum professionals and IT experts developed narrative trails to help all visitors discover
MAXXI’s architecture from new perspectives.
Another interesting interactive project, “Ocean Space”, addresses the difficult issue of sign language
glossaries through an unusual lens[5]. Curated by a museum accessibility expert in collaboration with ENS,
its goal is to create a shared glossary of signs relating to the oceans and climate emergency by actively
involving the Italian deaf community, and with the scientific support of the Institute of Marine Sciences.
The National Recovery and Resilience Plan recently presented by Italy is aimed to remove architectural, sensory
and cognitive barriers in museums, libraries and archives, as well as to promote a “culture of accessibility”
(Mission 1) also through the training of qualified personnel. This initiative is likely to have a significant impact on
the heritage sector and its ability to address the “special needs” of persons with disabilities, although a radical
shift in mentality is still needed to deal with the equally important issues of representation, new interpretive
perspectives and staff diversity.
In this respect, theatre has traditionally been far more groundbreaking and experimental.
[1] https://www.accessibilitamusei.beniculturali.it/en/site/index
[2] https://progettomaps.ens.it
[3] https://www.accessibitaly.it/en/
[4] https://www.mixt.it/
[5] https://www.ocean-space.org/it/education/abecedarium-lis
2.6. Culture and social inclusion
Social inclusion is a distinctive cultural policy issue in Italy. However, it is pursued through initiatives mostly
characterized by a fragmented, bottom-up approach, and it is still poorly investigated by social and statistical
surveys.
A few initiatives are indeed promoted by the State, like “Take part!”, a call by the Ministry of Culture in favor of
the marginal and peripheral areas of the country[1]. Another example is Theatre in prison programs, which are
strongly supported by the Ministry of Justice.
A growing number of individual initiatives, carried out separately or jointly by Regional and local authorities,
associations of the Third Sector, public, and private cultural organizations, pursue social inclusion via cultural
participation and engagement. In some instances, they are supported by UE funding programs (such as Creative
Europe or Structural Funds)[2]. On the other hand, private foundations, like Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione
Cariplo, Fondazione Unipol, and others, support both financially and technically many initiatives[3].
Museums, libraries, and theatre companies are particularly active in this direction. As also described in other
sections of the report (eg. see chapter 2.5.6), they typically address disadvantaged groups, such as the targets
listed below, to which specific projects are dedicated.
Children, adolescents, and young people in conditions of educational poverty[4].
People with moderate to severe physical, sensorial, or cognitive limitations[5].
People with degenerative conditions (like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s), and their
سه شنبه ۲۷ شهریور ۰۳ | ۲۰:۴۷ ۷ بازديد
dffdfe industrial and professional role in
affirming the Italian culture and economy, even in terms of valuable employment and of growing professional
skills.
Italy did not put in place any new measures or policies to promote the diversity of cultural expression in the
years 2014-2021, when users subscriptions to digital platforms and multinational companies supply in
streaming have grown considerably. The main recent debates among media professionals did not bring into
focus the relations between public/private broadcasters in the context of EU competition policies, nor the
34
preservation of the digital content diversity.
Themes as censorship and auto-censorship are recurrent in the public debates on the media about all sorts of
subjects. Measures that could be seen as restricting content diversity in what is produced by the journalistic
profession and industry in the audiovisual and print media have never been taken into consideration in
contemporary Italy. There are not specific training programmes for journalists to raise their awareness of
culturally sensitive topics, in order to ensure the diversity of views.
In broad terms, cultural diversity and pluralism on themes as the women role in society and in the audiovisual
professions focused in numerous meetings and debates in Italy. Culturally sensitive topics, in order to ensure
the diversity of views, are also integrant parts of the courses in the Centro Italiano di studi superiori per la
formazione e l’aggiornamento in giornalismo radiotelevisivo in Perugia, andggfgfgfgf
سه شنبه ۲۷ شهریور ۰۳ | ۲۰:۴۶ ۷ بازديد
system, perform
important functions in support of the cultural offer system, sometimes also influencing cultural policy.
For example, the 86 Italian Banking Foundations (“Fondazioni di origine bancaria”), operating for purposes of
social utility and promotion of the economic development of the territory, make significant investments in the
cultural sector. Although these Foundations are private law entities born in the early 90s from the
transformation of the banking system, being non-profit organizations, they can sign agreements with public
institutions, in order to support interventions for the enhancement of cultural heritage. However, it should be
noted that since these entities are concentrated in the northern Regions, they contribute to increasing the
territorial gap with the southern areas (see chapter 4.1.2 and 7.3).
Important subsidiarity functions in the management of the local cultural offer system and in supporting cultural
innovation of the territories are carried out by third sector organizations. It is a heterogeneous galaxy of realities
that in the last 30 years have seen their role progressively recognized and enabled by the institutions.
Already in the 70s and 80s, multipurpose cultural centres were funded by municipalities and run by cultural
associations. ARCI (the Italian Cultural Recreational Association) is the largest and oldest Italian cultural and
social promotion association, with hundreds of thousands of members and many associations and mutual aid
societies throughout the country. It represents cinemas, theatres, music clubs, visual arts galleries, reading
spaces, etc. and the promotion of cultural activities is the core of this associative project (see chapter 6.4).
The third sector reform process, launched in Italy in 2017 and still ongoing, has posed innovative and structural
challenges to a large part of non for profit cultural organizations, but also to small and medium-sized
enterprises operating in the cultural and creative sector. This reform has directly involved, for example, the
phenomenon of “social enterprise”, which carries out one or more business activities on a permanent and main
basis that are of general interest, non-profit making and pursue civic, solidarity and social utility purposes. The
activities permitted by law include, among others, those relating to the “protection and valorisation of cultural
heritage and the landscape”, the “organization and management of cultural, artistic or recreational activities of
social interest” and the “organization and management of tourism activities of social, cultural or religious
interest”. Social enterprises, in addition to a particularly favorable fiscal and tax treatment, can establish
privileged relationships with public bodies, through forms of co-programming, co-planning and accreditation
(see chapter 4.1.2).
16
1.2.6. TRANSVERSAL CO-OPERATION
At a horizontal level, inter-ministerial co-operation has been traditionally pursued by the Ministry of Culture also
by means of memoranda of agreements signed, for instance, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the field of
international cultural relations, with the Ministry of Education for arts training and education in schools, and
with the Ministry of Justice for carrying out cultural activities in prisons aimed at the rehabilitation of offenders.
A key development in horizontal co-operation has been the participation, since 1999, of the Ministry of Culture in
the Inter-ministerial Committee for Economic Planning (CIPE) of the Ministry for the Economy: a strategic
committee, which is also responsible for the allocation of EU Structural Funds to the Regions in Southern Italy.
Such areas have benefited from several million EUR in capital investments in the cultural field under the
2000-2006, 2007-2013 and 2014-2020 Plans, allocated to operational programmes managed by national and
regional authorities. Their aim was to enhance cultural assets in the five Italian "convergence Regions”
(Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Puglia, Sicilia), not only by boosting safeguarding, but also access, along with the
connected economic activities dealing with the creation of new entrepreneurship, planning and capacity
building.
As for vertical co-operation among government levels, common problems and quite frequent conflicts between
the State and the Regions have often been dealt with in the framework of the State-Regions Conference - also
acting as a sort of “clearing house” for any controversy – and, more rarely, by the Constitutional Court. Actually,
official representation of regional interests in cultural, as in any other matter, is entrusted to the Conference,
where the heads of the regional departments for culture regularly meet to discuss issues of common interest in
two special coordination committees, the Interregional committee for cultural goods and the Interregional
committee for the performing arts, also acting as lobbying organizations, pursuing institutional reforms towards a
full implementation of a more federal governance structure in the cultural field.
1.3. Cultural institutions
1.3.1. OVERVIEW OF CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS
As highlighted, in the mixed economy system of the Italian cultural policy model, the public sector historically is
the primary funding source for cultural institutions in the field of heritage, museums, archives and libraries, as
well as the performing arts. As previously pointed out, if on the one hand government action is concerned in the
management of cultural institutions, on the other hand, the administrative model has traditionally been one of
direct intervention of public administration by national ministries or regional, provincial and municipal ad hoc
departments.
1.3.2. DATA ON SELECTED PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS
Table 1: Cultural institutions, by sector and domain
Domain Cultural institutions
(subdomains)
Public
sector
Private
sector
Unspecified
important functions in support of the cultural offer system, sometimes also influencing cultural policy.
For example, the 86 Italian Banking Foundations (“Fondazioni di origine bancaria”), operating for purposes of
social utility and promotion of the economic development of the territory, make significant investments in the
cultural sector. Although these Foundations are private law entities born in the early 90s from the
transformation of the banking system, being non-profit organizations, they can sign agreements with public
institutions, in order to support interventions for the enhancement of cultural heritage. However, it should be
noted that since these entities are concentrated in the northern Regions, they contribute to increasing the
territorial gap with the southern areas (see chapter 4.1.2 and 7.3).
Important subsidiarity functions in the management of the local cultural offer system and in supporting cultural
innovation of the territories are carried out by third sector organizations. It is a heterogeneous galaxy of realities
that in the last 30 years have seen their role progressively recognized and enabled by the institutions.
Already in the 70s and 80s, multipurpose cultural centres were funded by municipalities and run by cultural
associations. ARCI (the Italian Cultural Recreational Association) is the largest and oldest Italian cultural and
social promotion association, with hundreds of thousands of members and many associations and mutual aid
societies throughout the country. It represents cinemas, theatres, music clubs, visual arts galleries, reading
spaces, etc. and the promotion of cultural activities is the core of this associative project (see chapter 6.4).
The third sector reform process, launched in Italy in 2017 and still ongoing, has posed innovative and structural
challenges to a large part of non for profit cultural organizations, but also to small and medium-sized
enterprises operating in the cultural and creative sector. This reform has directly involved, for example, the
phenomenon of “social enterprise”, which carries out one or more business activities on a permanent and main
basis that are of general interest, non-profit making and pursue civic, solidarity and social utility purposes. The
activities permitted by law include, among others, those relating to the “protection and valorisation of cultural
heritage and the landscape”, the “organization and management of cultural, artistic or recreational activities of
social interest” and the “organization and management of tourism activities of social, cultural or religious
interest”. Social enterprises, in addition to a particularly favorable fiscal and tax treatment, can establish
privileged relationships with public bodies, through forms of co-programming, co-planning and accreditation
(see chapter 4.1.2).
1.2.6. TRANSVERSAL CO-OPERATION
At a horizontal level, inter-ministerial co-operation has been traditionally pursued by the Ministry of Culture also
by means of memoranda of agreements signed, for instance, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the field of
international cultural relations, with the Ministry of Education for arts training and education in schools, and
with the Ministry of Justice for carrying out cultural activities in prisons aimed at the rehabilitation of offenders.
A key development in horizontal co-operation has been the participation, since 1999, of the Ministry of Culture in
the Inter-ministerial Committee for Economic Planning (CIPE) of the Ministry for the Economy: a strategic
committee, which is also responsible for the allocation of EU Structural Funds to the Regions in Southern Italy.
Such areas have benefited from several million EUR in capital investments in the cultural field under the
2000-2006, 2007-2013 and 2014-2020 Plans, allocated to operational programmes managed by national and
regional authorities. Their aim was to enhance cultural assets in the five Italian "convergence Regions”
(Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Puglia, Sicilia), not only by boosting safeguarding, but also access, along with the
connected economic activities dealing with the creation of new entrepreneurship, planning and capacity
building.
As for vertical co-operation among government levels, common problems and quite frequent conflicts between
the State and the Regions have often been dealt with in the framework of the State-Regions Conference - also
acting as a sort of “clearing house” for any controversy – and, more rarely, by the Constitutional Court. Actually,
official representation of regional interests in cultural, as in any other matter, is entrusted to the Conference,
where the heads of the regional departments for culture regularly meet to discuss issues of common interest in
two special coordination committees, the Interregional committee for cultural goods and the Interregional
committee for the performing arts, also acting as lobbying organizations, pursuing institutional reforms towards a
full implementation of a more federal governance structure in the cultural field.
1.3. Cultural institutions
1.3.1. OVERVIEW OF CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS
As highlighted, in the mixed economy system of the Italian cultural policy model, the public sector historically is
the primary funding source for cultural institutions in the field of heritage, museums, archives and libraries, as
well as the performing arts. As previously pointed out, if on the one hand government action is concerned in the
management of cultural institutions, on the other hand, the administrative model has traditionally been one of
direct intervention of public administration by national ministries or regional, provincial and municipal ad hoc
departments.
1.3.2. DATA ON SELECTED PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS
Table 1: Cultural institutions, by sector and domain
Domain Cultural institutions
(subdomains)
Public
sector
Private
sector
Unspecified
سه شنبه ۲۷ شهریور ۰۳ | ۲۰:۴۵ ۷ بازديد
arts, at the end of the past century, the Ministry has been entrusted with the full range of core cultural
functions: heritage, museums, libraries and archives, visual arts, performing arts and film, cultural institutions,
copyright, with the only exception being communications (radio television and the press). Tourism has been the
responsibility of the Ministry in two periods: from 2013 to 2018 and from 2019 to march 2021, when the
responsibilities were transferred for a short while to the Ministry of Agricultural Policies and then to a new
autonomous Ministry of Tourism.
In managing national heritage institutions, just under 500 museums with archaeological sites and monuments
fall under the direct responsibility of the Ministry of Culture, out of 5.000 in total. About a hundred libraries out
of about 7.400 and a hundred archives also fall under the direct responsibility of the Ministry, while the whole
domain of protection and valorisation of heritage is regulated by the Heritage and Landscape Codex (see chapter
3.1 and 4.2).
At the central level, the coordination of ministerial functions is entrusted to a Secretary General, which directs
and coordinates both 13 General Directions (DGs) and 17 regional Secretariats. Recently the DG for Tourism has
been assigned to the Ministry of Economic Development, untying it from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in
which it was previously based (see chapter 3.5.6).
In exercising its functions, the Ministry is assisted by four central, widely representative “advisory bodies” (the
High Council for Heritage and Landscape, the "Consulta" for the Performing Arts, the Permanent Committee for
Copyright) and by seven technical-scientific committees on specific thematic areas.
The DGs are technically supported by other relatively autonomous specialized “scientific bodies”, including the
Istituti centrali for Heritage protection and restoration, for Heritage cataloguing, for Books restoration and
cataloguing, for National Archives, for Demo-ethno-anthropological goods, for Graphic arts, for Audiovisual Goods,
and the Opificio per le Pietre Dure.
Since 2014, some of the major state cultural sites have gradually acquired economic and managerial autonomy.
Now there are 44 cultural institutes (museums and archaeological areas) with special autonomy, coordinated by
the General Direction of Museums, whereas the other national museums are organised under the Regional
Directions of Museums (see chapter 3.1).
In Italy the public State libraries are managed directly by the Department of Libraries and Copyright of the
Ministry of Culture (see chapter 4.2.5). Since 2016, Archival and Bibliographic Superintendents have been
established in all Regions, with the exception of those with a special statute.
The promotion of books and press is in the charge of the DG Libraries and Copyright. The DG’s activities range
from promoting reading, to coordinating libraries and the national library system. In 2019, the Central Institute
for the digitization of cultural heritage - Digital Library was created. It coordinates the digitization programmes of
cultural heritage under the Ministry’s responsibility and will also be responsible for projects for the digitization
of cultural heritage which will be funded with the resources allocated by the National Recovery and Resilience
Plan (see chapter 3.5.2).
The MiC, through the Directorate General for Film and Audiovisual matters, carries out support activities both
for film production, distribution and dissemination, supporting institutions, enterprises, cinemas and festivals
throughout the national and international territory (see chapter 3.5.3). In 2001 the administration of cultural
heritage endowed itself with a body dedicated to the promotion, incentivisation and enhancement of
contemporary creativity, through the establishment of a DG for Contemporary Arts and Architecture. The office
has undergone several changes over time and in 2019 its name was changed to the DG for Contemporary
Creativity, bringing together policies in a vast field of action: from cultural and creative businesses to
contemporary art, photography, fashion, and urban suburbs (see chapter 3.5.5 and 4.2.4).
The MiC performs also a wide range of activity in the field of education through its DG for Education, Research
and Cultural Institutions, which holds and carries out functions and tasks relating to coordination, design and
assessment of education, training and research programmes in the area under the responsibility of the Ministry
(see chapter 5.1). Still in the field of higher education, in 2014 the Ministry of Culture founded the “Fondazione
Scuola dei beni e delle attività culturali” (Foundation School of Cultural Heritage and Activities): an international
institution dedicated to training, research and higher education. It carries out activities of lifelong learning and
retraining for cultural heritage professionals, aimed at supporting changes in the cultural system also by a
strong internationally-oriented approach[1].
At the peripheral level, the MiC is split between administrative bodies – the Regional Secretariats – and techno-
scientific territorial structures especially endowed with the mission of safeguarding heritage at the local level:
the Soprintendenze, respectively related to the DG for Fine Arts and Landscape and for Antiquities.
Besides the MiC, other Ministries and institutional entities are also involved in cultural matters. The main ones
are:
The Prime Minister’s Office
The responsibilities for the allocation of financial support to the press, and for the conventions related to RAI
(the state agency for radio and television) for providing additional public services - broadcasting abroad, etc.- are
exercised by the Department for Information and Publishing of the Prime Minister’s Office, headed by an
Undersecretary of State for Information and Publishing.
The Ministry of Economic Development
Responsibilities for the media and ICT regulatory functions as well as for financial support to local radios and
television networks are entrusted to an Under Secretary for Communications, attached to the Ministry for Economic
Development. Its regulatory functions are carried out jointly with AGCOM (Authority for Guarantees in
Communications) (see chapter 4.2.6).
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI)
The Ministry’s responsibilities for international cultural cooperation are mainly exercised in cooperation with the
Ministry of Culture (see chapter 1.4).
The Ministry of Education, University and Research
Since 2020, the Ministry has been split into two departments by a decree law, one the Ministry of Education and
the other the Ministry of Universities and Research, also comprising a General Direction for Higher Education in
the Arts, Music, and Dance, which is the main institution responsible for artistic and cultural education (see
chapter 5.1).
Legislative functions The State exercises exclusive legislative powers in cultural heritage protection. Legislative
functions lie presently with the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, and are notably exercised through their
respective Cultural Commissions. Besides the specific legislation in cultural matters, the yearly adoption of the
Budget Law presently allows both Chambers to play a relevant role in the funding system, as the Parliamentary
debates on this law often produce heated discussions on the pros and cons of public financing of culture (see
chapter 7).
[1] https://www.fondazionescuolapatrimonio.it/
1.2.3. REGIONAL AUTHORITIES
The twenty Italian Regions – all endowed with legislative powers and ad hoc administrative structures in the
cultural sector (regional departments for culture / “Assessorati regionali alla cultura”, in some cases associated
with other domains like education and tourism) – are split into two groups (see chart 3):
Five autonomous Regions, created in the post-war period and endowed with more extended competencies in
the cultural field. Out of these five autonomous Regions, according to their statutory laws, three – Valle
d’Aosta, Sicily, and Trentino-Alto Adige – also exercise, through their decentralised Soprintendenze, exclusive
and direct legislative and administrative responsibility for their own heritage assets, including the previous
“national”, now “regional”, museums and sites. The devolution of functions by the State took place in the
late 1970s. Therefore, in these three Regions there are no state Regional Directions for Cultural Goods and
the Landscape;
Fifteen ordinary Regions, established in 1972, whose cultural competencies were initially limited by the
Constitution (Article 117) to the supervision and financial support of local museums and libraries. The
subsequent devolution of responsibilities for “cultural promotion of local interest” (Law 616/1977), although
falling short to meet their demand for more cultural decentralization, came as a partial acknowledgement
of their active commitment in the field, the formula being vague enough to eventually allow the Regions to
legislate on a fairly wide range of cultural disciplines. According to the subsequent so-called “Devolution
Laws” adopted in the late 1990s, and to Constitutional Law 3/2001, ordinary Regions have now concurrent
legislative powers with the State as far as managing and enhancing heritage and cultural activities are
concerned.
The Regions have legislative power with respect to any matters not expressly attributed to the State or to the
concurrent legislation. In particular, the development of cultural and environmental resources is a matter of
concurrent legislation, for which the State only set fundamental principles. Therefore, with an approach based
on vertical subsidiarity, Italian Regions carry out specific activities on several areas of cultural policy. For
example, they support many training actions, covering the different ed
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