Abstract

Italian architecture is suffering from an identity crisis. Its creative element, which qualifies cities and landscapes with its functions, has no audience in society and no support. Some people are starting to react to this situation by implementing policies in favour of cultural support and reviving their role as clients. At the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali (Ministry of Heritage), Walter Veltroni's intuitive vision for this sector are slow to yield fruits. This article also considers the role of the Ministero dei Lavori Pubblici (Ministry of Public Works) (still absent), municipalities (widely divergent in terms of the quality and quantity of the projects they commission), university (terrible), and the Catholic Church (which is showing some positive signs). The conclusion is that design competitions are still the best way to reveal the quality of the architecture, but they entail the assumption of greater responsibility by the public institutions of Italy.