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Italy is on a major restoration spree and it has plans to spend a huge amount of money for the preservation of its cultural heritage!

The Italian government has announced that is allocating €1bn for the restoration of buildings at 33 museums, monuments and archaeological sites across the country including Pompeii, the earthquake-stricken city of L’Aquila and the Uffizi galleries in Florence.

Dario Franceschini, the Italian culture minister described the funding as the ‘biggest investment in cultural heritage’ in Italy’s history. The funding will continue until 2020.

Expressing his pleasure over the allotted fund for restoration, Dario Franceschini said that the ‘one billion for culture’ campaign will materialise the projects that have been delayed or shelved over the years due to lack of resources.

Under the campaign, the city of L’Aquila in the central Abruzzo region, which was devastated by an earthquake in 2009, will receive €30m to complete the restoration of its medieval walls, cathedral and Santa Maria Paganica church. Milan’s celebrated Pinacoteca di Brera will also have €40m for its long-pending expansion.

Though a €18m grant was given to the Uffizi in Florence last year, this year too it will get €40m to complete its renewal plan. The additional endowment will also open up the Vasari corridor across the river Arno, an idea proposed in the 1990s.

However, the huge chunk of the funding will go to Naples and the Campania region in the South. Financial support of €20m will be given to the National Archaeological Museum of Naples to perk up its exhibition area, while the Capodimonte Museum will have €30m to revamp its collectibles.

Besides, the palace of the Bourbon kings, the Reggia di Caserta built in 18th-century will be given €40m to refurbish its building and surrounding parkland.

The government is also giving €40m for Pompeii, €25m for the Campi Flegrei, €20m for Paestum and €10m for Herculaneum.