Italy steps closer to creating ‘Netflix of Italian Culture’

Rome: An ambitious project to create what has been hailed as the “Netflix of Italian Culture” has taken further steps to becoming a reality, reports online art newspaper Artribune.

The plan, first announced by culture minister Dario Franceschini during Italy’s covid-19 lockdown in the spring, was recently allocated €10 million as part of the nation’s so-called Recovery Fund.

Now the ministry is in negotiations with Chili, the Milan-based firm that has been distributing films and television series in Italy via the internet since 2012, reports Artribune.

The plan to provide an online platform giving paid access to Italian culture would see a collaboration between Italy’s investment bank Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) and Chili, with the culture ministry acting as director of the project.

The culture ministry states that the initiative has “enormous potential” and that the digital platform could offer access to music, opera, theatre, cinema and virtual museum visits.

Under Franceschini’s plan, the Netflix of Italian Culture would allow subscribers to participate virtually, from anywhere in the world, in Italy’s greatest art and cultural events, from theatre premieres to concerts and major exhibition visits.

In addition, the platform would become an online resource for Italy’s immense artistic heritage, spreading and promoting knowledge of Italian culture around the world.