ROME - “Culture is the heart of our country and deserves more care” and it is “our responsibility to make the site of Pompeii available for the world” said the premier Letta at the end of the last Council of Ministers. It approved a decree for the enhancement of Pompeii, after Unesco reprisal on June.
There will be a special superintendent to ensure that millions of euros given by government and European Union (in March was approved an injection of 105 million euros) for maintenance and restoration of the archaeological and tourist site so famous in the worl, would be properly spent, after several collapses of structures over the past years. “Pompeii and the surrounding area of Herculaneum and Stabia will become an example of transparency and a positive example of the South” said the Minister of Culture Massimo Bray.
Pompeii draws more than 2.5 million visitors every year 
Pompeii draws more than 2.5 million visitors every year
The director of Project Pompeii will be supported by a maximum staff of 25 experts in law, economics, architecture, urban planning and infrastructure to sche-dule proper works, maintenance, enhancement of the site and coordinate initiatives to preserve from ruin a unique place entombed 2 millennia ago by the eruption of Vesuvio in 79 AD, that today attracts over 2.5 million visitors a year.
But Pompeii is only one significant part of the cultural decree. Eight million euros will revamp the marvellous Uffizi Gallery in Florence and 4 million will be granted to the Holocaust Museum of Ferrara. Lyric opera and symphony foundations will access a special 75 million euro fund.
The government also decides to give work to 5 hundred university graduates under the age of 35 for one year: they will di-gitalize and catalogue the cultu-ral assets of the country. The first 100 hires will be drawn from Southern Italian regions: Puglia, Campania, Calabria and Sicily. Moreover the ”Cultural Value” decree designates 90 million euros of tax credits to the movie industry and 5 million in tax credits to promote young music composers and performers.
“Culture – said the prime minister Enrico Letta – is the heart of our country and the opportunity to attract investment is one of our priorities. We want to invest in culture and create a link bet-ween young people and culture”.
And minister Bray: “We be-lieve that culture can start to create growth and jobs, give a future to the country and believe in the new generations. It is a very clear political choice”.
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