Italian cultural sector criticized for prioritizing grand themes over basic infrastructure

Stefano Monti, partner at Monti&Taft, argues in an Artribune opinion piece that the Italian cultural sector suffers from a disconnect between ambitious discourse and practical deficiencies. He contrasts buzzwords like 'soft power,' 'audience engagement,' 'crowdfunding,' and 'gamification' with the reality of museums still issuing paper tickets and lacking visitor data systems. Monti points to wasted investments in studies on culture's role as soft power, university courses on accountability, and conferences on storytelling and urban regeneration. He highlights the failure of public-private partnerships (PPPs), citing a European Court of Auditors study of 12 EU-co-financed transport and ICT projects totaling €29.2 billion, which recommended against promoting PPPs due to administrative capacity gaps. Monti calls for a focus on small, concrete improvements—such as basic data collection, Wi-Fi in cultural institutions, and support for small cultural enterprises—rather than chasing grand themes. He criticizes the sector for neglecting fundamentals like access to credit for cultural businesses, lack of visitor registration software, and unregulated tourist accommodations near train stations. The piece advocates for a sustainable pace in cultural development, using the metaphor of a runner who must conserve energy to accelerate at the end of a race.