Organizational Structure of S&T in Italy for Cultural Heritage Safeguard
In the present note, only the scientific and technological aspects referred to conservation of cultural heritage have been described.
All the Italian Artistic and Cultural Heritage is under the State control. It is controlled mainly by the Ministry for Cultural Activities and Heritage (MBAC)
Regarding churches, monasteries, convents and religious objects, the Catholic Church (Curia) has the formal control, but then the MBAC takes all the decisions regarding renovations and any other kind of interventions on these relicts.
Many historical houses and villas are private, but to take decisions regarding restorations, sale, the owners have to ask to the Ministry.
Then there are several museums or galleries that are private or under the Municipal and Regional control. At the end in some towns and regions some monumental buildings are directly controlled by the municipal o regional administration.
Ministry for the Cultural Activities and Heritage
Ministrer On. Giovanna Melandri
Address: Via del Collegio Romano, 27 – 00186 Rome - Italy
Central Tel. 003906 67231 – FAX 003906 6791905
Web site http://www.beniculturali.it/
The Italian Ministry of Cultural Activities and Heritage has been founded in 1975 with the task:
It has organized as showed in fig. n.1.
Regarding the scientific aspects related to the conservation and recovery, it is here important to underline that four central scientific institutes are included in the Ministry. They have in charge experts such as chemists, physics, biologists, engineers, geologists, architects, restorers who provide training courses for Ministry's personnel, perform renovations, conduct research on conservation methods, carry out analyses to characterize the state of conservation of the works of art to be restored and preserved. They are:
Address: Piazza San Francesco di Paola 9, 00184 Rome
Phone number ++3906 4743411, fax 003906 4815704
Person to contact: Alma Tantillo, Director
Address: Via Milano 76, 00184 Rome
Person to contact: Carlo Federici, Director
Address Via C. Baudana Vaccolini 23, 00153 Rome
Phone number ++3906 58000890
Person to contact: Antonio Papa, Director
Address: Via Alfani 78, 50121 Firenze
Phone number ++39055 26511, fax ++39055 287123
Person to contact: Cristina Acidini, Director
Only some superintendences have in charge some scientific experts, so when they need scientific analyses, in case of restoration, they ask for the Central Institutes or external experts coming out from public research centers or private enterprises.
To restore monuments, historical buildings, works of art, to construct new museums and other kind of cultural heritage the Ministry received founds from the State.
Since three years a special found coming out from the lottery has been assigned to special renovations.
REGIONAL AND MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION
Regional and municipal administration of all big cities in Italy have departments with the task to preserve their artistic heritage, to organize exhibitions, to promote the conservation.
They can take decisions regarding restoration. They don’t have scientific and technical laboratories.
RELIGIOUS HERITAGE
Regarding churches, monasteries, convents and many religious objects stored in these buildings, the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) since 1995 founded the Office for Cultural Heritage. It has the duty to inventory the religious heritage, to preserve it, to organize training courses, to institute religious museums, but then the MBAC takes all the decisions regarding renovations.
The Vatican State controls and protects all the heritage located in its State (Vatican Museum, St Peter, etc). The Vatican State has also a very famous laboratory for restoration.
PRIVATE HERITAGE
Many historical houses and villas are private. They are esteemed in about 40000 buildings. To take decisions regarding restorations or other interventions on the building, the owners have to ask permission to the Ministry.
Two associations have been founded to improve the safeguard of these historical houses:
Found for Italian Environment (FAI), web site: http://www.fondo-ambiente.it/fai.htm
Association for the Italian Historical Mansions (Adsi)
NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC BOARDS WITH THE TASK TO CARRY OUT RESEARCHES IN THE FIELD OF CONSERVATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE
Scientific researches regarding technologies applied to conservation field including characterization of materials used in works of art, determination of their state of conservation, relation between environment and cultural heritage, dating of artistic artifacts, museums conservation criteria, studies regarding new materials used in cultural heritage, studies to determine the constructive technologies and the other kink of scientific and technological application to the conservation field have carried out by:
