Community Valore Cultura: Data, Analysis and Outlook for Italy’s Private Cultural Sector

A public event entitled “The Value of the Private Cultural Sector in Italy” was held on Wednesday, 19 November 2025, at Palazzo Visconti in Milan, home of the Bracco Foundation. The event brought to a close the first phase of work by Community Valore Cultura, a platform promoted by TEHA Group together with Fondazione Biscozzi Rimbaud, the Bracco Foundation, Fondazione Elpis, Fondazione Golinelli and Fondazione Luigi Rovati to support dialogue, planning and strategic development among Italy’s private cultural organisations.

Community Valore Cultura's Goals

Community Valore Cultura started from the realisation that Italy’s private cultural sector is a valuable resource spread across the country, capable of driving economic and social development at both national and local level, with considerable potential still to be unlocked. Italy is currently home to 1,546 privately owned cultural institutions open to the public, representing 35% of the country’s 4,416 cultural institutions. Together, they welcome 30.76 million visitors, 35% of them from abroad. These figures make it all the more important to recognise the social and economic value of the investments that private institutions sustain to benefit local areas and communities.

The findings from Community Valore Cultura’s first phase, launched in 2024, were presented at the event. Using the evidence gathered, combined with further methodological and contextual analysis, the Community was able to propose an index for measuring the social impact of different cultural experiences.

“The Value of the Private Cultural Sector in Italy”: the Speakers

Opening the event, Diana Bracco, Chairperson of the Bracco Foundation, reaffirmed the ethical, social and economic value of culture as a genuine driver of local development. She also underlined the fundamental role of business and private patronage, presenting strategic philanthropy as a form of responsibility towards communities. From this perspective, enterprise and cultural engagement are complementary dimensions, reflected also in participation in wide-ranging initiatives such as Community Valore Cultura.

The event was moderated by Stefano Salis of Il Sole 24 Ore and featured two in-depth, scene-setting presentations by Lorenzo Tavazzi, Senior Partner and Board Member at TEHA Group, and Mario Abis, Professor of Statistics and Social Research at IULM University, Milan, and Scientific Advisor to Community Valore Cultura. The two speakers provided a detailed, up-to-date picture of Italy’s private cultural sector, highlighting the key structural data, emerging trends and policy proposals, as well as a new scientifically based model for measuring the social impact of culture.

The debate continued with a panel discussion on the relationship between the public and private cultural sectors. Speakers included Federico Mollicone, Chairperson of the VII Committee on Culture, Science and Education of the Chamber of Deputies; Francesca Caruso, Regional Minister for Culture of the Lombardy Regional Administration; Francesco Spano, Director of Federculture; Antonio Danieli, Deputy Chairperson and Director General of Fondazione Golinelli; Roberto Pesenti, Chairperson of gres art 671; Tiziana Frescobaldi, Chairperson of Compagnia de’ Frescobaldi; and Giovanna Forlanelli, Chairperson of Fondazione Luigi Rovati.

The meeting underscored the need to strengthen collaboration between public institutions and private foundations and to recognise the private cultural sector as a strategic asset for Italy, capable of generating economic value, delivering social impact, supporting wellbeing and making local areas more attractive.