“History and culture are integral parts of being Italian: when the world looks at us, it sees first of all art, music and literature”. Thus Mario Draghi in his speech at the G20 of Culture which opened in the heart of a Rome more armored than ever. The premier recalled the 58 sites in our country considered a World Heritage Site by unesco and added: “They are places that Italy keeps for itself and for the whole world, for those who have returned to visit us after the empty months of the pandemic “.
Present in the spectacular arena of the Colosseum were the “landlord”, the Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini, those of the twenty largest world economies and 40 international delegations. Together with them, the Director General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay and the Director of the Egyptian Museum of Turin, Christian Greco. This is the first cultural ministerial of the G20, which Italy leads as the current president: under the banner of “Culture unites the world“.
“The protection of the artistic heritage requires greater environmental sustainability”, continued the premier, “We must act immediately, so that the generations of tomorrow can enjoy the treasures we admire today”.
“Our cultural heritage is the fruit of the imagination of our ancestors: that of our grandchildren will depend on what we are able to do”.
«Protecting cultural heritage means protecting humanity», Minister Franceschini declared at the opening of the ceremony, «The pandemic has made us understand how much culture is the lifeblood of our lives. The empty squares, closed museums such as cinemas, theaters, libraries, have made our cities sad, dull. This is why we now know that culture will be the key to restarting, the engine of innovative, sustainable and balanced growth ».
These are the priorities reflected in the Rome Declaration of the G20 Ministers of Culture, which will be approved at the end of the works: protection and promotion of culture and creative sectors as engines “for sustainable and balanced growth”; protection of cultural heritage against risks, digital transition and new technologies for culture, enhancement of training, fight against climate change.
At the end of the ceremony, the concert at the Quirinale by the Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra conducted by Maestro Riccardo Muti. Subsequently, dinner for the ministers at the Palazzo della Consulta, the seat of the Constitutional Court since 1956. Tomorrow the works will move to Palazzo Barberini, where several sessions are scheduled from 10 to 17, concluded by a press conference. At the end of the works, the delegations will visit the Borghese Gallery.