Italian archaeology institute launches creative crowdfunding amid funding crisis

The National Institute of Archaeology and Art History (INASA), founded in 1922 by Corrado Ricci and Benedetto Croce, is facing severe funding shortages. Contrary to rumors of selling off its library collection at Palazzo Venezia in Rome, INASA has instead initiated a used book sale and a crowdfunding campaign to support archaeological excavations at the Samnite Sanctuary of Pietrabbondante in Molise. The campaign on Indiegogo, led by young volunteer archaeologists, aims to raise €10,000 for laboratory analysis and up to €30,000 for field investigations in July and August 2016. The site, spanning over 40 hectares, has only been 25% explored and is considered one of the most important in central Italy alongside Rome and Pompeii. Donors can receive benefits such as guided tours, picnics with archaeologists, weekends in Pietrabbondante, and even naming rights to a find. The project is directed by Adriano La Regina in collaboration with the Soprintendenza Archeologica del Molise.