Abstract

In 2014, the reform of the Italian Ministry for Culture and Tourism etsablished autonomous museums. This article is aimed at verifying the extent to which the new regulatory framework is translating into concrete results and which are the main problems of the new organizational model. To this end, the author took on a case study to assess the effects of the implementation of autonomy within Le Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica of Rome. The analysis is organized in four sections. The first one focuses on Le Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica's internal organization and suitability of its human and economic resources, in order to verify whether the assets required to achieve economical, effective and efficient management are being set up within the museum. The second section considers Le Gallerie Nazionali's external relationships, in order to attest: if the museum is achieving greater democratization and accessibility of cultural heritage; if it is involving students, schools and universities to a greater extent; if it is contributing to the development of greater cooperation with the other cultural institutions. The third section examines the relationship between autonomous museums and the central Ministry, in order to understand if the level of autonomy awarded allows the new institutions to pursue a flexible, dynamic and innovative management. The last one sets out the conclusions.