Abstract

The history and condition of cultural heritage in Italy is marked by a strong contrast between two factors that seem to be in total contradiction with each other: on the one hand, the very long history of preservation in all Italian states (even before national unity) and the seeming consistency and organicity of the rules in force today, up to the Constitution itself; on the other hand, the relentless contrast between general legislation and particular interests, which are often expressed through local and regional administrations. The ambiguous position of the Ministry of Culture today, between centrality in name and peripherality in fact, is a consequence of these age-old premises.