Antonio Natali: Separating Culture from Tourism Is a Victory for Education

Antonio Natali, former director of the Uffizi Gallery, argues that the recent renaming of Italy's Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism to include 'agriculture and tourism' (which he dubs the 'Ministry of Agri-tourism') is a positive step. He contends that detaching 'tourism' from 'cultural heritage' frees museums from the obligation to generate revenue, restoring their educational mission. Natali traces the history of the ministry: initially part of the Ministry of Public Education as 'Antiquities and Fine Arts', it became the Ministry for Cultural and Environmental Heritage in 1975 under Giovanni Spadolini. In the 1990s, 'Activities' was added, and in 2013, 'Tourism' was appended, reflecting a shift toward viewing heritage as an economic asset. Natali cites 18th-century Uffizi director Giuseppe Pelli Bencivenni, who believed exposure to art educates youth and refines taste. He criticizes the recent renaming of the Uffizi to 'Gallery of Statues and Paintings' as an attempt to modernize. Natali concludes that the new ministry signals the state's first compensation to culture.