Culture as a Form of Healing

A report details how the South is reinventing its cultural heritage

There is a neighborhood in Naples where young people at risk of falling into the hands of the Camorra become tour guides in the catacombs. There is a small Sardinian town where residents have photographed and cataloged ancient rock-cut basins on their private property, restoring 32 artifacts—which no one had ever cataloged—to the collective memory. And there is a library in the province of Caserta that, in an area marked by the stigma of the “Land of Fires,” has brought reading to the streets, to prisons, and to migrant communities. 

These are some of the stories told in the fifth volume of the series*Culture and Archaeology for High-Quality, Sustainable Tourism*, published by SRM and the Laboratorio Percorsi di Secondo Welfare in late 2025. This report is worth reading not only for its data—though significant—but for the argument it makes: while museums, libraries, and archaeological sites are indeed places for preserving the past, they can also become social infrastructure, bastions of citizenship, and drivers of inclusion. 

In this regard, Southern Italy is the most telling region. It is home to 40% of Italy’s state-run museums and 35% of its archaeological sites, and alone generates 55% of the national archaeological sector’s revenue; yet its visitor numbers remain far below its potential. The sites are there—and they are often extraordinary. What’s missing are the conditions needed to turn them into widespread opportunities: accessibility, networks, participation, and trust. 

It is precisely these elements that the initiatives analyzed in the report seek to address using a variety of tools: from community cooperatives to digital platforms, from participatory archaeology to collaborative library planning. All of this is guided by a common approach that aims to make people the core and key players in cultural heritage. 

The report also devotes considerable attention to the evolving regulatory framework, particularly theSpecial Public-Private Partnership—a relatively new tool that could prove decisive in opening up the management of cultural heritage to third-sector entities and the community. Not privatization, but shared responsibility. 

In closing, the report focuses on cultural volunteerism (800,000 people in Italy), which it describes as a mature expression of citizenship that chooses to care for the common good. 

The report is available for free download https://www.secondowelfare.it/studio/quando-la-cultura-incontra-le-comunita/