Seven Missions Impossible: Italy Launches Campaign to Save Monuments
A government-backed telethon hopes to raise money to preserve monuments.
ROME, Oct. 9, 2007 — -- Italy is riding high after last week's successful return of the first four of 40 prized antiquities from the Getty Museum in California.
It's the latest result of Italy's dogged efforts to recover what it considers looted Italian art sold to museums around the world.
Now Italy's Ministry for Culture is launching a new project to draw attention to another aspect of Italy's immense artistic patrimony, some of its forgotten sites.
Italy has an abundance of art and cultural sites. Many are in disrepair and the country does not have the funds to restore and protect them all. Speaking on Italian TV, Francesco Rutelli, Italy's minister of culture, seated next to the four repatriated Getty pieces, announced the country's latest cultural-preservation project: a fundraising telethon to help save some of the country's crumbling landmarks.
"We don't have enough money to restore all the art we have. It is estimated we would need 700 million euros [$980 million] a year — and that's just an estimate!" Rutelli said.
Appealing to Italians, he said, "We all have to do more, but each citizen with one small gesture can make a difference. … Each Italian can just give a small amount and then say, 'I, too, have helped to save a bit of Italy.'"
The Italian Ministry of Culture takes care of 403 museums and archaeological sites in Italy, which have enjoyed a 20 percent increase in visitors in the last five years. The country spends $420 million for restoration and upkeep of its cultural heritage annually, and private donations from Italian citizens and companies total about $59 million. But this is not enough and is low when compared with what other history-rich European countries receive. France takes in a reported $490 million a year in donations.
The money donated will be earmarked for seven selected "forgotten" sites chosen from a vast list, and each will get an equal share of the donated money. The other sites vying for funds may still get some of the donations if more than the target amount of $700,000 per site is reached. Launched this weekend, the campaign has already raised $4.2 million.
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