Milan Monument Requires Restoration Following Climate Protests, Culture Minister Says

A 19th-century statue in Milan that was defaced by a climate activist group early last month now requires an involved restoration, Italian officials said last week.

Public demonstrations on March 9 by members of the climate activist group Ultima Generazione left the structure partially covered in gold paint. The Milan city council’s earlier attempts to have the monument cleaned following those actions were unsuccessful, according to the Italian cultural ministry.

Milanese officials have accused the group of damaging the site permanently, telling an Italian news outlet that the city is considering a civil action against the protestors. The activist group has claimed materials used in protests do not cause permanent damage to monuments.

The target of the March protest is a focal point of Milan’s Piazza del Duomo: a bronze equestrian monument designed by Italian artist Ercole Rosa that commemorates the military victory of 19th-century Italian official Vittorio Emanuele II. Two climate activists, a 26-year-old male and a 23-year-old female, sprayed the antique statue with yellow paint and were apprehended by Carabinieri officers.

Ultima Generazione, which is affiliated with the A22 network of climate groups devoted to “civil disobedience,” according to the organization’s website, said the demonstration in Milan was staged to protest Italian government’s investments in fossil fuels. “The Italian government invested 41.8 billion euros in the extraction of fossil fuels in 2021 alone,” said Ultima Generazione in a public statement.

The Milan protest is one of several that climate activists have recently staged at public sites. During demonstrations in Rome, using non-permanent paint and dye activists targeted the 15th-century building facade of the Italian Senate building and the 17th-century, Pietro Bernini–designed Fontana della Barcaccia.

In a report requested by Milan’s department overseeing archaeology, fine arts and landscape to assess conversation needs for the monument, Italy’s culture minister, Gennaro Sangiuliano, said that prior attempts by Milanese officials to remove paint from the Rosa monument using high-pressure water risked damaging its marble.

“From what I have been told, a real restoration intervention seems necessary which entails greater costs for the community,” Sangiuliano said. The estimated cost of restoring the monument to its prior state have not been disclosed.

The report comes as tensions between Italian officials and protestors heighten. Last week, the Italian government passed a law imposing five-figure fines on individuals found to have vandalized the country’s monuments or cultural sites to cover repair costs. In a statement, Sangiuliano condemned the targeting of public monuments as “economic damage to all.”