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March 18, 2009
Hmmm - this appointment does make "Archaeology in Rome" sound troubled
The Italian government has tapped the man who handled the Naples garbage crisis to deal with another emergency -- the shabby state of many ancient monuments in Rome.Guido Bertolaso has been named special commissioner for the archaeological treasures in the Italian capital and nearby Ostia, the city's ancient port, the Culture Ministry said Tuesday.
The government also approved some euro37 million ($48 million) in funding to restore monuments that have been partially or completely closed to the public and were further damaged by this winter's unusually heavy rains.
Here's the coverage from Repubblica.it - not any more detail, though it does hint at the struggle he's going to have with the Soprintendenza, the standing authority over archeological sites.
Yes, the collapse of some of the supporting walls at the Palatine last year was really worrying - and the Golden House of Nero is closed more often than it's open. Not that I find it a particularly useful site for anyone who doesn't already know it well to VISIT, because it's so chopped up by later imperial construction, but it could be much better handled.
It's really the person who is interesting here - Bertolaso has a reputation for fixing things. How successfully I'm not sure, but it will be good to see what happens. His career is symptomatic of Italian politics somehow - crisis driven. Here's his Italian wikipedia entry - I'm surprised he doesn't have one in English.
Posted by CrankyProfessor at March 18, 2009 8:39 AM