Italy / Italië

1. Cultural policy

Cultural policy profile

Cultural policy profile of Italy in 7 thematic chapters, including additional information and resources:

Government

Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities

2. Official representations

Representation of Italy in Belgium

  • (Culture) centre in Brussels
    Istituto Italiano di Cultura
    Rue de Livourne 38
    1000 Bruxelles
    Tel.: 00 32 (0)2 / 533 27 22 
    Mob.: 00 32 488 25 75 05

Representation of Flanders in Italy

3. About funding, cooperation and information centers

– Funding and cooperation

  • ACRIS: overview of all private banking foundations (close to 100 funds represented). Not all work with culture, but many do (mostly at local level though).

– Information

  • Società Dante Alighieri: Founded in 1889, the Dante Alighieri Foundation promotes the Italian language worldwide. It is a EUNIC member.
  • Fondazione Fitzcarraldo: an independent centre for planning, research, training and documentation on cultural, arts and media management, economics and policies. It often works on European level.
  • Materahub: manages international pilot projects to support cultural and creative industries, encouraging innovation and inclusion processes and a new entrepreneurial vision to face contemporary challenges. It works on capacity building and internationalisation.
  • Fondazione Scuola Patrimonio: Fondazione Scuola dei beni e delle attività culturali is a foundation dedicated to training, research and higher education, founded by the Ministry for Culture. Its mission is to promote the professional development of cultural heritage managers and curators. The Foundation aims at supporting changes in the cultural system by a strong internationally-oriented approach and confirming its role as a central venue for discussion and exchanges.
  • Information overview via On the Move country page: On the Move is the cultural mobility information network, providing information and knowledge for artists and cultural professionals active across borders. On this page, you can find all current calls related to the country as well as the latest version of the Cultural Mobility Funding Guide – and more.

4. Other information portals and platforms

– All disciplines

  • Italian Society of Authors and Publishers (SIAE): guarantees authors and publishers’ remuneration for their work. SIAE is entrusted with authorising the use of works, the collection of the fees due from the users and their distribution to the right holders (authors and publishers). This is done for all art genres: music, opera, theatre, literature, visual arts, radiotelevision (it is a “generalist” society). For each one of these genres a special society generally exists abroad.
  • Italia Festival: National network of arts festivals in Italy, focused on promotion and tourism. It is an EFA member since 2001.

– Visual arts

  • The Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Italian Ministry of Culture: fulfils different functions and roles in relation to the (inter)national promotion, support and valorisation of contemporary Italian creativity, including photography and video-art, applied arts, including design and fashion, and architectural and urban quality. The Directorate-General also supports cultural and creative enterprises and promotes urban regeneration interventions.
  • AIAPI: Since 2014, the AIAPI has represented the interests of Italian visual artists and works towards a recognition of the Status of the Artist. It delivers the National PRofessional Card, and is a member of IAA / AIAP Unesco.
  • La Biennale di Venezia: was established in 1895 and is today acknowledged as one of the most prestigious cultural institutions. Next to the renowned biennale, the organisation runs many additional programmes, among which the Biennale College, dedicated to the education of young people in the artistic fields and in the activities of the organisational structure of the Biennale. Many of the additional programmes are open for applications.

– Performing arts

  • ITI Italy: Italian branch of the International Theatre Institute
  • Assitej Italy: Italian branch of Assitej, the network for theatre for young audiences.
  • Network Danza XL – Anticorpi XL Network: the Italian network focusing on young auteur dance. Founded in 2007, it currently involves 38 structures in 16 regions and represents a concrete and significant example of promotion of the new generation of Italian choreographers. It is a network of operators who share the conception and implementation of projects through the networking of individual resources.
  • Fondazione Nazionale della Danza / Aterballetto: the dance production centre with public founding members (MiBACT & Region Emilia-Romagna). Its main objective is to pursue a cultural policy, beyond an artistic mission. The idea is to create a new institution, able to fulfil the task of promoting and developing dance in Italy and of projecting the image of Italian dance and its artistic talent internationally.
  • Liv.in.g – Live internationalization gateway: a social enterprise born in 2018 with the aim of promoting and supporting the internationalization of the performing art sector. It organises international events and develops the capacity of performing arts professionals across borders.
  • AGIS (Associazione Generale Italiana Dello Spettacolo): founded in 1945, AGIS brings together trade associations, federations and foundations and is present on the national territory with regional and interregional Unions. AGIS represents entrepreneurs in the sectors of cinema and activities, public and private, of prose, music, dance, popular entertainment, such as the circus, the traveling show and contemporary popular music.

– Music

  • Italia Music Export: aims is to promote Italian music worldwide, boost music export revenues and to support Italian music companies going global. Italia Music Export is a service and resource centre for exporters of Italian music. Italia Music Export is part of and financially supported by Italia Music Lab Foundation. It is a member of EMEE.
    • Initiated by SIAE, Italia Music Lab aims to provide support to young Italian music creators. The mission of the Music Lab is twofold: on the one hand, to support music creators both within our market and in their path of promotion and development abroad, on the other hand to increase their awareness of the mechanisms of the music business and of copyrights.
  • Puglia Sounds: a project of the Puglia Region in support of Puglia’s professionals and artists in the music sector. It promotes capacity building amongst Puglia’s music professionals and artists thanks to specific training programs on music professions which are based on the exchange of knowledge, if experiences and know-hows. It is a member of EMEE.
  • CIDIM – Italian Music Council: was founded in 1978 as “Centro Italiano Di Iniziativa Musicale” by 33 concert associations with the object of providing Italian music institutions with the availability of an association which would act as a reference point at a time when extensive changes were being made in the legislation relative to musical activities and which would coordinate complex musical and cultural activities. It is a member of IAMIC.

5. Regional organisations

  • The Central European Initiative (CEI): a regional intergovernmental forum which gathers 17 Member States in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. It supports a united Europe with shared values embracing all countries, regions, peoples and citizens; and fosters good governance, rule of law and sustainable economic development for stability, social cohesion, environmental sustainability, security and prosperity. CEI also supports cultural cooperation.