Article: “Rare Peek at Riches of Past in Rome”
Source: The New York Times
Rome’s archaeological authorities have reallocated money to open five monuments which are usually closed, in response to budget cuts.
The monuments in question are:
* House of Livia
* House of Gryphons
* Temple of Romulus (it was probably the Temple of Jupiter Stator)
* Oratory of the 40 Martyrs
* Loggia Mattei
Rome’s vast cultural assets are the biggest tourist attraction, receiving five million tourists, but due to the economic instability both public and private figures are down, I refer to state subsidies and income from tourist stayings in Rome.
The article ends suggestion that new crowds needs to be enticed and that the stuffy image must be ’stopped’.
The last part is a challenge and twofolded.
First because Culture, archaeology, the Past is not of interest to everyone.
Mixing Culture with free admissions, music and evening visits won’t necessarily solve the underlying problem, the dependency on state support.
The leisure industry has become a very valuable and lucrative industry and Culture can be part of it. Look for instance to the success of ecotourism.
The win-win situation created in ecotourism can be created as well for Rome and its assets, why not institute a new or different tripartite between the municipality, the hotel industry and the cultural ‘delegate’ to attract more relevant tourists which do want to pay for the experience and want to be part of the Culture. Co-creation (the experience and the enabling), co-funding and commitment are in place to this particular issue as well.
The affection of accessibility and new excavations should not depend on budget cuts, the prioritization of the state should not influence the discovery, identification and exposition of the Past. (read Nostrum Momentum – Rocca Calascio for the reasons).
A personal example why I encourage initiatives to allow archaeology to do its work:
At the back of the Palantine (Palatino) a ruine was found and excavated, dating back to 753 B.C., the birth of Rome.
I don’t know if they finished the project (we visited the place three years ago), but it could shed light on how the ancient Romans lived, how it differs from later generations and so on.
What are your ideas on the intertwining of commercialism and culture to achieve a win-win situation?
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