The Lazio regional administrative
court (TAR) on Wednesday upheld an appeal from Rome city council
against a decree setting up the Colosseum Park, a project of
Culture Minister Dario Franceschini.
A union appeal was also upheld.
The city council said setting up the park, according to a
January decree, was "harmful to the interests of Roma Capitale".
On January 10 Franceschini the Colosseum had become park of
an archaeological park that also includes the Domus Aurea, and
the ancient Roman sites on the Palatine Hill and in the Forum.
The park will have a new director appointed via an
international selection process, as has already happened for 30
other top cultural sites, including Florence's Uffizi museum, he
said.
Franceschini said he had signed a ministerial decree that
reorganizes management of the area to complete a reform launched
in 2014.
"It is incontestable that everywhere in Italy the move to
autonomous museums has led to an improvement on many fronts,"
Franceschini said, "ranging from visitors who have grown to
better services. It is a slow process, which will go at
different speeds around the country, but which is bearing
fruit".
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