Workers from Italy’s most visited heritage sites have called on Giorgia Meloni’s government to recognise the state of Palestine and condemn the destruction of cultural heritage in Gaza, in an excoriating open letter. The letter went viral last week as Italians joined a nationwide strike in solidarity with Palestine.
The letter was first written ahead of a pro-Palestine strike in Italy on 22 September, gathering around 120 signatures, Raffaella Bosso, an administrator at Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, tells The Art Newspaper.
It was updated and circulated again at the end of September, on the eve of another massive strike on Friday 3 October, when hundreds of thousands marched in support of the Global Sumud Flotilla—a maritime humanitarian initiative carrying food and medical supplies to Gaza. Demonstrators brought parts of Italy to a standstill, increasing pressure on Meloni’s government, which has been criticised for failing to condemn Israel’s conduct during the war.
The final version of the letter—completed on Saturday 4 October—accuses Israel of perpetrating “genocide” and “unjustifiable violence” in Gaza. It has been signed by 1,566 workers from state-run museums, archaeological sites, libraries and Ales, a company run by the culture ministry that provides support services at heritage sites. Signatories include 23 employees of Pompeii, 53 from the Uffizi in Florence, 60 from Naples’s Capodimonte museum and 20 from the Colosseum. All signed with their full names.
The signatories demand that Italy recognise the state of Palestine, halt arms supplies to Israel, sever diplomatic and commercial ties and “intensify initiatives aimed at guaranteeing ways out of Gaza through all cultural avenues”, including study grants for Gazan students.
They also urge their institutions to “promote initiatives of solidarity with the Palestinian people” and call on the culture ministry to “make public any agreements in place with Israeli cultural institutions” and suspend any directly or indirectly linked to Israel’s government.
The letter calls for “a clear stance against the systematic destruction of the monumental and archaeological heritage of the Gaza Strip”, claiming Israel has violated the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property, to which it is a signatory.
Rosanna Carrieri, president of Mi Riconosci, an association representing cultural heritage workers, tells The Art Newspaper she was struck by the number of signatories who used their full names. “Thousands of people who had never gone on strike before chose to do so,” she says, describing it as “the most important mobilisation in the cultural sector since the 1970s”.
Cultural institutions temporarily close
The CGIL union, one of the two organisers of the general strike, reports that around two million people joined Friday’s marches, though the AFP news agency put the figure at “over 200,000”. Many museums remained closed, including the Uffizi and Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia, while the Venice Architecture Biennale was forced to shut almost half its pavilions.
Notices at the Venice Architecture Biennale announce the closure of pavilions due to the general strike
Photo: MiRiconosci
Giuliano Volpe, an archaeology professor at the University of Bari and a former adviser to ex-culture minister Dario Franceschini, says Italy bears a particular responsibility to defend heritage abroad. “Italy is not any old country; it is at the heart of archaeological culture, with a long tradition of helping other nations safeguard their heritage,” he says.
Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 65,000 people—mostly civilians—according to Gaza health officials, and has left much of the enclave in ruins. The offensive began after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Israel has strongly denied it is responsible for war crimes, saying it attacks legitimate military targets alone and has “unwavering commitment” to international law.
Meloni used her speech at the United Nations General Assembly last month to condemn the country for “crossing the line” with its disproportionate response to Hamas's attacks on 7 October 2023, stating that it was “violating humanitarian norms, causing a slaughter of civilians”.
However, Meloni insists Italy will recognise a two-state solution only if Hamas releases all hostages and plays no role in a future Palestinian government. Although Italy announced just weeks after the 7 October attacks that it would suspend arms sales to Tel Aviv, it continued to supply €5.2m’s worth in 2024, according to Altreconomia magazine.
