ITALY IS DIFFERENT (Pescara)















A typically cynical Florentine friend recently commented, "The Italians like the idea of liking culture" - followed by a shrug of the shoulders and a heavy silence. This was a direct response to the government's drastic cuts to the nation's arts budget - resulting in the near closure of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, a celebrated international festival of theater and music that began operation in 1933.