Italian Superintendencies' Organizational Crisis: Workflow and Staffing Imbalances

Stefano Monti critiques the Italian superintendencies for cultural heritage, arguing that their disorganization stems from a mismatch between objectives, personnel, and procedures. He warns against the dichotomy between valorization and protection, citing figures like Tomaso Montanari who defend the superintendencies. Monti uses the Venice Superintendency as a case study: despite being one of the most organized, it has 116 positions but only 49 employees, meaning most staff cover multiple roles. For example, Chiara Faedo works across five functional areas. Monti compares this to a private company, suggesting it would either be operating with undeclared labor or heading toward failure. He calls for clear workflows or adequate staffing to resolve the crisis, noting that confusion leads to centralized decision-making and lack of transparency. The article references Salvatore Settis's 'Abbecedario' and criticizes the 2014 reform by Minister Dario Franceschini, which created 39 unified superintendencies and two special ones, as insufficient. Monti concludes that without organizational reform, the conflict between protection and valorization will persist.