Free museums, Sangiuliano-Sgarbi controversy. The minister quotes billionaire tourists: “Italy is already too generous”

The controversy continues. On the one hand, the Undersecretary for Culture, Vittorio Sgarbiwho does not abandon the idea of ​​free museums, on the other hand the Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano which he considers “Italy too generous” in this regard. But he is keen to reiterate: “With Sgarbi there are 30 years of friendship behind us, we have never quarreled, this is a very useful starting point – says Sangiuliano to SkyTg24 – I absolutely agree with him, I am also for the conservation, protection, safeguarding of heritage precisely because I am a conservator “.

However, the positions of both do not change on the free museums. “Like today, we already have the first Sunday free every month. The Louvre costs 17 euros, the Moma in New York which was previously free today costs 25 dollars, the Eiffel Tower costs more than the Tower of Pisa which I personally prefer. Seeing the American billionaire descend from the 100 million dollar yacht, as it happens to me during the summer on vacation in Positano, and in a limousine to see them go to visit Pompeii, an archaeological park unique in the world, I would say 17.50 euros they can spend “, he said again speaking to Sky Tg24 making a comparison with the situation in other cities. It’s still. “Already we do not charge all the young people of the European Union up to the age of 18, then from 18 to 25 they pay two euros, a fairly ridiculous amount, then as it is right and sacrosanct they do not pay the disabled and then there is a system of conventions for the elderly and with the municipalities, I would say that we Italians are already very generous “, continued the minister.

Hypothesis of new calls for young people in museums

Doubts but also new considerations. “The staff of the museums is currently underpowered compared to organic plants, something is already changing: there was a competition of 1052 units almost all hired, another 500 arrived from the placement lists and I hypothesize – said the Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano, speaking on Sky Tg24 – new competitions to be announced and fixed-term hires for the Pnrr. My commitment is to bring back or at least greatly increase the organic plant of museums by focusing above all on young people, who are digital natives and who have an important training from our universities also superior to other countries “.

“Introducing young people does not mean mortifying the experienced people who work in museums, but our immense cultural heritage must interact with the digital reality of our times, any museum must deal with it – continued the Minister of Culture – for this reason. ‘there is a need for digital natives, people familiar with new technologies, it is necessary to bring many young people into the services with enthusiasm and love for culture “. The theme of under-sizing emerged this week when Sangiuliano strongly criticized the Uffizi closed on November 1, for staff reasons, according to the reply of the director of the Galleries Eike Schmidt. The latest data, source Istat 2020, attest 48 thousand operators, including 14 thousand interns in public museums, a figure judged precisely underpowered by the minister.