Italy culture ministry spending 1.56 bln euros in 2015

(ANSA) - Rome, October 6 - Italy's culture and tourism ministry is set to spend 1.56 billion euros in 2015, Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said on Tuesday.
    In a letter to Italian daily La Repubblica, Franceschini said that spending on protection of Italian heritage had risen 10% in 2015, to 86.7 million from 78.9 million in 2014.
    He added that the last budget law had allocated 100 million euros per year for the next five years towards heritage protection and upkeep, doubling the resources available.
    Another 18 million euros set aside for renovations of Rome's Colosseum are part of a new fund for "Big Projects" worth 80 million euros between 2015 and 2016, Franceschini said.
    "If Letta's government stopped the decline in funds for culture, with Renzi's government we have resumed growth," he said, adding that the government was working on further increases to culture funds in the upcoming budget law.