The Provinces
The Legislative Decree 267/2000 regulates responsibilities of Provinces, the level of government least involved in cultural policy. Since the entry into force of Law 56/2014 (“Riforma degli enti locali”), Provinces are no longer an elective body and are considered as territorial bodies for wide areas (“Enti di area vasta”) with limited functions, as required by wide territorial areas and/or as requested to support local municipalities.
Currently, there are 107 Provinces, of which 14 are Metropolitan Cities (namely Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin, Bari, Florence, Bologna, Genoa, Venice, Reggio Calabria, Palermo, Catania and Messina and Cagliari), and two correspond to Autonomous Provinces. According to Law 56/2014, they are recognized as ordinary administrative entities of second level and functions previously performed by Provinces have been mostly devoted to Regions.
This reorganization process is still in a transitional stage, in which governance models are not yet consolidated and usually respond to ad-hoc agreements between the different administrative entities. The new definition of responsibilities of Provinces and Metropolitan Cities often responds to local government needs and faces difficulties derived from the rescaling and transfer of competencies from heterogeneous entities. Thus, it is not yet possible to evaluate the impacts on the former provincial culture-related functions, mainly concerning archives and libraries as well as their role of intermediating bodies between the Regions and the municipalities for the allocation of funds to cultural activities.
The Municipalities
Along with the State, the nearly 8.000 Municipalities are undoubtedly the most prominent public actors and funding source in Italy’s cultural scene. Administrative responsibilities of these entities[1] include cultural services and infrastructures (such as local museums, exhibition halls, multifunctional cultural centres, cultural activities and theatres).
The provision of local cultural services varies greatly across the Country, and the State has no direct competence in this matter, which is rather dealt with on a voluntary basis by the municipalities (see chapter 6.4). Through their departments for culture(“Assessorati alla cultura”), they play a paramount role in the direct and indirect management of municipal cultural institutions (see chapter 4.1.2). They even promote and support a wide range of cultural activities, actively contributing to the rich national supply of art exhibitions, performing arts festivals, literature festivals, street events, cultural minorities’ celebrations, etc. Italian municipalities are also investing highly in the restoration and maintenance of their historic assets, albeit under the supervision of the Ministry, and in building cultural premises, with special attention given to capital investment in cultural infrastructure and, in particular, in modern and contemporary art museums and performing arts centres.
[1] Art. 13 of Legislative Decree 267/2000.
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