Rome needs much more than the Jubilee to regain its cultural centrality. This is the message that emerged from Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli’s speech during Fratelli d’Italia’s Festa, Piazza Italia, held in Rome July 3-5, 2025. Taking the stage, the minister touched on some central points related to the government’s vision for the capital, declaring that “Rome is too important to be neglected and left to a governance that has not made it the great world city it should be.”
During his speech, Giuli stressed the need to overcome a narrative of the city based solely on the expectation of extraordinary events, such as the Holy Year. “There is not only the Jubilee year, there are ordinary years in which the city needs to find itself, a narrative of itself, a ’self-representation and, I would add, a new ruling class.” A statement that emphasizes a more structural and continuous vision of the cultural and administrative management of the Capital.
The minister then announced one of the most concrete initiatives on the agenda: support for the candidacy of Ostia Antica for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is an area of considerable historical significance, the enhancement of which is at the heart of the ministry’s commitment. Giuli also cited the case of Cinecittà, calling it a reality now “reborn.”
“Ostia is our Pompeii, a unicum that restores the grandeur and beauty of the historical stratifications of Italian identity,” Giuli argued. “It is an orthogonal projection of Rome, so it too is caput mundi. But we need a vision: the candidacy must be accompanied by urban regeneration, there must be integration of the ancient with the contemporary, and we need the revitalization of local government. We want to turn Ostia into a symbol of international attractiveness. After all, our commitment to the suburbs is constant, as demonstrated by the Culture Decree approved in February, whose implementing decrees are almost ready.”
The announcement on Ostia Antica’s Unesco candidacy thus comes at a time when attention on Rome and its heritage is bound to increase, also in view of the international appointments planned for the coming years. Ostia Antica, which preserves fundamental evidence of ancient Rome, would thus represent a further piece in the mosaic of globally recognized Italian excellence.
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| Minister Giuli wants to support Ostia Antica's Unesco bid: "It is our Pompeii." |
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