The 1997 earthquake in Umbria: ups and downs of a project. A dialogue

Immediately after the earthquake, the region of Umbria and three cities (Spoleto, Narni, Foligno) agreed on setting up an «Operating Centre for the conservation and maintenance of the cultural and artistic heritage, archives and libraries», to promote activities involving the restoration and enhancement of cultural goods, and civil defence. Among these a choice of strong coordination between the State and the peripheral and territorial bodies and a systematic effort to promote maintenance and prevention, suitable to the diverse nature of our cultural heritage: a fundamental component of Italian civilization. Such choices were markedly different from the prevailing practices where the lack of such coordination and methods makes our cultural heritage more fragile and its preservation more difficult, both in day-to-day management as well as when facing recurring catastrophic events like earthquakes. This dialogue between a witness of the 1997 events and an Umbrian archaeologist retraces the development of the project, and from 2003 onwards, the progressive loss of its identity up until its present condition, which shows limited functionality compared to its 1997 objectives.