Italian Culture Ministry Reform Reverts to 2006 Structure

On August 1, 2023, Italian Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano announced a digitalization push to strengthen museum competitiveness. However, on August 9, it was revealed that the Central Institute for Digitalization of Cultural Heritage would be abolished. The reorganization, enacted via a DPCM, eliminates general directorates and creates departments, separating heritage protection from management and valorization. It multiplies managerial positions, risking months of paralysis at a time when the ministry must invest hundreds of millions from the PNRR and oversee thousands of tenders. Critics argue the reform is a step backward, essentially reverting the Ministry of Culture to its 2006 structure under Minister Buttiglione. The changes ignore two decades of progress and may stall operations due to fragmented command and centralization. The author, Massimiliano Zane, a cultural planner, warns that the overhaul prioritizes symbolic gestures over substantive reform, leaving complex issues unaddressed.