Never let it be said that the Italian government are cultural snobs. Sitting in their Roman offices, no doubt overlooking more Roman ruins than you can shake a toga at, they have risked the scorn of both voters and the opposition by putting a very unlikely candidate in charge of Italy's world class museums.
Mario Resca, 62, spent 12 years as Italy manager for McDonalds, and has been tasked with making Italian museums more profitable. The appointment has irked those who hold their artifacts in especially high esteem, including opposition MP Manuel Ghizzoni, who says "What have hamburgers got to do with Italy's extraordinary cultural patrimony?"
And according to Antonello Alici, secretary general of preservation group Italia Nostra (not to be confused with Cosa Nostra, which is something altogether different), "Resca may know how to clean up a balance sheet but knows nothing about culture. I fear our museums will be leaned on to refill state coffers".
While Italian culture vultures are up in arms over the appointment, it transpires that Resca, with his sound commercial background, probably is the right man for the job. He is hoping to improve marketing and to make money by exhibiting artworks currently in storage.
And not a moment too soon. Italy's La Repubblica newspaper announced last week that money is so scarce that new archaeological sites are now opened only if holes are already being dug to create train lines or underground garages.
