Abstract

In the approach to the cultural heritage of Tuscany in the second half of the twentieth century the main theme is the constant attention to conservation and restoration, particularly in Florence. After the disastrous flood of 1966, however, one realizes both the fragility of the heritage and its widespread distribution, which makes each place interesting as an original subject for the historical research. Therefore the state offices are dedicating increasing attention to contexts which until then had been very little studied, such as the historic centers of the Apennines in the province of Pistoia. In this scenario, stands out the role of Antonio Paolucci, state officer as art historian, and later soprintendente, who directs important cataloging campaigns and supports a new way of making art history «on the field», in harmony with what is happening simultaneously in Umbria, Emilia and Piedmont. This essay focuses on the early years of his career, highlighting connections and distances between the role of official and that of superintendent, but above all the innovative and political nature of that experience: a very lesson for today