Bonisoli merges Veneto and Lombardy museum networks in controversial reform

On August 13, Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage Alberto Bonisoli signed a decree merging the Veneto and Lombardy museum networks into a single Direzione territoriale delle reti museali di Lombardia e Veneto, centralizing 29 museums (11 in Lombardy, 18 in Veneto) under state control. The move bypassed local consultation, sparking criticism from cultural professionals who argue it undermines territorial identity and heritage management. Critics, including cultural strategist Massimiliano Zane, denounce the reform as hasty, top-down, and lacking vision, warning it erodes local specificity and risks being reversed by the next minister. The reform is seen as part of a broader, contested overhaul of Italy's cultural heritage system initiated under the Franceschini reform.