Lucia Borgonzoni (undersecretary for cultural heritage): last book read? Three years ago

Lucia Borgonzoni, who was appointed as the new undersecretary for cultural heritage a few days ago along with Gianluca Vacca(an article with their profiles here), was a guest on Thursday on the program Un giorno da pecora on Rai Radio 1. Although little was said about culture during the episode (the program, in fact, keeps to a register between the serious and the facetious), between the undersecretary’s “appeals” in search of a boyfriend and reminiscences of her school career, Lucia Borgonzoni nonetheless made some statements pertaining to her role. The hosts of Un giorno da pecora, Geppy Cucciari and Giorgio Lauro, started with basic questions to check “what Lucia Borgonzoni is like in terms of culture.” When asked about the last book she read, the undersecretary replied that “the last things I read are budget things”: then, pressed by the hosts, she admitted that the last book she read( Kafka’sCastle ) “must have been three years ago.”

To the hosts’ expressions of astonishment and the observation that reading should be a nourishment of the soul, Borgonzoni replied, “and whatever, if I can, now that I can devote myself to culture, I put in concerts, cinema, and reading as entertainment.” Questions also about the last movie she saw (“seven months ago, but I don’t remember what I saw. It must not have impressed me much.... ”) and about the last concert (“I saw Jovanotti here in Rome. I wanted to go see Depeche Mode on Monday but I can’t, so I’ll go see Il Volo when I go to Taormina”). Lucia Borgonzoni then jokingly refused to answer about her last time at the theater (“I don’t take the theater proxy...I’ll take the cinema one”).

They then went into the merits of government action. Asked if one eats with culture, Borgonzoni replied, “one eats with culture: culture has to be promoted, culture has to make an inducement so that we can save some other culture, maintain our heritage and make it usable for everyone.” As for the fact that the government might cut back on culture, Borgonzoni said that is absolutely not true. On 18app, the 500-euro bonus for 18-year-olds to spend on culture, the undersecretary said that “the 500-euro bonus for culture should be reviewed: the kids could also go and buy us Playstation games. It was a gift, the culture bonus is something else. So it will not be taken away, but it will be redesigned so that it is really linked to culture.”

Finally, a question about foreign directors of Italian museums: “I am for meritocracy. I would like more to give possibilities to Italians, because there are so many who leave, honestly, and if you can give space to Italians it is always good, but with equal merit. Maybe there are Italian people who deserve to have places and often do not have the chance or the opportunity. Maybe they needed to see more of our people. It’s not that foreign directors are not good: I’m saying we don’t evaluate and go to see our own. We are a little bit foreign, it’s cool what comes from abroad.” By linking to the Rai Play website you can listen to the full interview.

Pictured: Lucia Borgonzoni

Lucia Borgonzoni (undersecretary for cultural heritage): last book read? Three years ago

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