Italian Cultural Institutes: A Neglected Resource in Need of Reform

Giorgio Guglielmino, a former diplomat, critiques the state of Italian Cultural Institutes (IIC) worldwide, highlighting issues of neglect, low-quality programming, and bureaucratic inefficiency. He describes visiting the IIC in Caracas, where water leaks and decaying banners were common, contrasting it with the prestigious Paris institute housed in an 18th-century hôtel particulier. Guglielmino argues that the institutes prioritize quantity over quality, with directors boasting about hosting 200 events annually instead of 20 high-level ones. He notes that many artists and musicians of lower stature use IICs as a fallback, while top-tier talents avoid them. A notable exception was the 2020 Teatro alla Scala orchestra concert at Buenos Aires' Teatro Colón, costing €1.2 million, funded by sponsors FIAT, Pirelli, and Telecom. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs lacks a dedicated cultural relations directorate, a position once held by Sergio Romano. Language teaching, a major IIC duty, overlaps with the Dante Alighieri Society's 400 committees, causing friction. Security measures after a 2022 anarchist attack on an Italian diplomat in Greece have made access cumbersome. Guglielmino proposes closing a third of the institutes, transferring language teaching to Dante Alighieri, better training for directors, and appointing more 'chiara fama' directors with strong networks.