MUDD: Naples' Diffuse Diocesan Museum model boosts youth employment and tourism

Launched in 2022 by Archbishop Don Mimmo Battaglia, the MUDD (Museo Diocesano Diffuso) initiative in Naples aims to revive historic churches while generating employment for youth. After years of being closed, the Church of San Giovanni a Carbonara, renowned for its Gothic architecture and 15th-century majolica flooring, reopened in September 2025. By the end of that year, 20 young individuals had secured jobs, and the project attracted over 100,000 visitors, raising €250,000 in donations alongside €1 million from private partners, including Fondazione CON IL SUD and Intesa Sanpaolo. Coordinated by Fondazione Napoli C'entro, founded in 2024 with vice president Don Antonio Loffredo, the circuit also features the Church of Sant'Aniello a Caponapoli and the Church of Donnaregina Nuova, with plans for the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, which houses a concealed fresco by Aniello Falcone.