Italy is culture: cultural institutes for economic development

On 25-26 September, the national conference “Italy is Culture” organised by AICI (Association of Italian Cultural Institutions) was held in Turin, at Einaudi Campus. The event – where Dario Franceschini, Minister for Heritage and Cultural and Tourism Activities, and representatives from the European Commission and from important Italian Institutions intervened -  was part of a series of initiatives taking place on occasion of the Italian Presidency of EU and followed 23-24 September's assembly of Europe's Cultural Ministries hosted by Turin's Venaria Realm.

The conference aimed to give a strong signal about the potential of Italian culture and cultural institutions, which are undergoing a positive process of transformation and renewal: Italian culture has a strong vocation to social and technological innovation, to communicational experimentation, to internationalisation. Objectives to be achieved through synergic and multidisciplinary cooperation between the public and private sector for the benefit of Italian economic development.

Italy is culture presented data and concrete proposals that will merge into a Charter of Culture for European Renaissance, baseline for the growth and identity preservation of Europe.

Event official website: http://italiacultura.aici.it/

Conference Programme

Thursday, 25 September

9.00 – 13.00

• Welcome speech by Dean of Turin's University Gianmaria Ajani;


• Round table: New role for Italian private cultural institutes. Relationship with the policy for heritage and policy for university and scientific research. Chaired by AICI's President Valdo Spini;


• Round table: The relationship between public and private bodies with the Cultural institutions and Foundations.

13.00 Lunch

14.30 – 17.30 Parallel professional workshops

• Culture in EU policies: Horizon 2020, Creative Europe. Moderated by Carmine Marinucci, AICI's Secretary-general;


• Enterprise, job and culture. Moderated by Sergio Scamuzzi, Turin's Gramsci Institute;


• Integrated cultural systems and digitisation. Museums, archives, academic libraries and libraries of cultural institutes; MAB network. Moderated by Daniele Jalla, Piedmont MAB (Musei Archivi e Biblioteche – Museums Archives Libraries)


• The Cultural Institutes between continuity and necessary innovations. Moderated by Giuseppe Sangiorgi, Don Luigi Sturzo Institute.


• Participation of the cultural institutes in the Great War's celebrations. Chaired by Franco Marini, President of the National Committee for the First World War Centenary. Moderated by Andrea Ciampani Coordinator of AICI for the Great War.

19.00 Turin cultural itinerary and social dinner

Friday, 26 September

9.00 - Round table: Job and Innovation in the economy of culture. Chaired by AICI's past president Franco Salvatori;

10.30 – Round table: Culture funding: what private/public/social mix for innovation? Chaired by Patrizia Asproni, president of Confcultura;

13.00 Conclusions;

14.00 End.

The programme included the presentation of the volume Italia – Europa. Per una nuova politica della cultura (Italy – Europe. For a new culture policy) by Gabriella Nisticò, collecting the proceedings of the last two AICI's meetings and containing the introduction to a survey on the AICI-affiliated Institutes and Foundations' activities of the period 2011-2013.

Mario Caligiuri, Councillor for Culture and Cultural Heritage of Calabria Region and President of the Cultural Committee of the State-Regions Conference participated in Turin's event; read his interview published on AICI's website!

Download the detailed conference programme (Italian language) here

For more information visit www.aici.it