Resca to the Rescue

Italians are trendsetters in food, fashion and lifestyle, but certainly no one wants to copy Italy's system of government. Its fractious politics have allowed a choking bureaucracy to take hold over most everything in government, including cultural affairs. From a recent report in the New York Times, I had thought this bureaucracy had staved off reform once again. See http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2008/12/italian-cultural-bureaucrats-stave-off.html

However, perhaps the New York Times was a bit too pessimistic. At least according to the Wall Street Journal, the prospect for reform actually lives on in the person of Mario Resca. Resca, previously best known for running Italy's McDonald's franchises, has apparently survived efforts to derail the Berlusconi Government's plans to appoint him to help turn around Italy's ailing museums. See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123180247432375119.html

I wish Mr. Resca luck in making Italy's museums more user-friendly as well as in clamping down on the "fannulloni" or "slackers."

Incidentally, if Mr. Resca wants to take in a model museum display, he should visit the National Gallery of Art's exhibit entitled, "Pompeii and the Roman Villa." See: http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/pompeiiinfo.shtm As always, the National Gallery has done a fantastic job of installing artifacts (many of which are from Italy) in a manner that makes them just shine.