Piccoli Grandi Musei

Museums, Foundations and the Public Sector working together for integrated local development

There are 4,588 museums open to the public in Italy. This means that almost one municipality out of every three has at least one museum-type structure. In figures, this widespread heritage signifies 1.5 museums in every 100 square kilometres and approximately one for every 13,000 inhabitants.

Tuscany holds the record for the region with the most museums, with a total of 550, 243 of which are within the sphere of action of the Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze.

This is the background against which the Foundation conceived a strategic programme for the enhancement of the cultural heritage through the Piccoli Grandi Musei (PGM) project, developed in partnership with the Tuscan Regional Authority, the Ministry of Culture (MIBACT) and other Tuscan bank foundations.

The priority objective is to stimulate the renewal and networked management of the tourist and cultural offer of the museums and the local area, activating processes for the cultural and economic development of the local systems. Over the 10 editions of the project the museums have been involved in tourist and cultural itineraries, exhibitions have been organised, academic catalogues of the museums have been produced as well as digital photo archives, in addition to the promotion of educational activities for schools and families.

The general objectives pursued by the PGM project are:

• Fostering the infrastructuring and networking of routes of cultural tourism and accessible tourism within the territory
• Expanding the educational offer for schools and families
• Supporting staff training and the involvement of local firms active in the cultural sector which offer services to the public
• Spreading good practices among the local cultural institutions
• Promoting the development for commercial purposes of typical local businesses and accommodation facilities