As the Italian government keeps cutting funds to cultural research, the result is that, in Italy, most of the archaeological excavations, as well as study and research activities, are carried out by foreign institutions and universities.
The little money the Italian government devotes to culture is for the safety and maintenance of museums and archaeological sites (and, some would argue, it’s not even done that well – case in point: Pompeii).
Among foreign institutions doing research in our country, the University of Michigan is one of the most active. Every year, it contributes 300,000 Euros to the digging of Gabii, near Rome, a building dating back to the Roman Republic of the third century B.C.
The German Archaeological Institute is also very active, providing financial support to four of the most significant excavations, part of the 2013-2015 Public Works program of the Italian government, which features 42 planned excavation projects - only eight of them include research activities.
The University of Texas is another institute investing heavily in research, providing funds every year for the excavation of Oplontis, near Pompeii.
Archaeologist and art historian Salvatore Settis has said, "Foreigners spend much more than we do, a shameful humiliation which began with the cuts made in 2008, when 1,5 billion euros were cut at once for cultural investments. The result is that those government departments created to carry out research as well as to protect our cultural heritage have stopped doing any research – it represents a failure of one of their most important roles. As a consequence, foreigners invest a lot more than we do on our own soil.”
Another consequence is the continued brain drain of archaeologists, researchers and graduate students who are forced to bring their knowledge abroad where investment in culture is much higher than in Italy – despite the fact that Italy boasts one of the richest cultural heritage in the world.
