For pure heterogenesis of the purposes, of course: but we are forced to say that this time the Lega-undersecretary-of-cultural-Heritage-cultural-who-doesn’t-read-books, the legendary Lucia Borgonzoni, is right. Of course, she did it because she hates France and considers Leonardo an Italian foodstuff to protect, but she refused to loan the Louvre the famous VIncian drawing with the so-called Vitruvian Man, preserved in Venice‘s Accademia Galleries. If formally it will be the experts to decide, it is evident that the issue is now of international politics: and one can imagine that the last word will lie with the minister Bonisoli, or even with the Premier Conte (for once).
A very good article by Roger Tantulli said in these same pages the whole depressing history: clarifying what’s at stake (the drawing is so fragile that if it goes to Paris then it will have to remain shut in the dark for ten years), and by showing that managers, supervisors, and associations of protection (it should be noted especially the excellent Italia Nostra Venetian section) are all for the no. Too fragile, that very famous sheet, to risk even the least, further damage. For one, I would like to emphasize two aspects in which this umpteenth story of ‘hands on heritage’ appears to be exemplary.