Which Artworks Should We Save? Cash-Strapped Italy Lets Citizens Vote

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When it comes to Italy's enormous art heritage, officials are often faced with an unbearable choice: Which pieces should be saved when the government can't afford to save them all? Now, thanks to an online vote, it's up to Italian citizens to answer that tough question. In the end, some art will get a new lease on life, but many works that epitomize Western civilization remain seriously in danger.

On a recent night inside the National Museum of Rome, musicians and conceptual artists performed a piece of avant-garde theater as sculptures of Apollo and Dionysus looked on.

The after-hours event is one of dozens taking place at state museums and monuments nationwide in a program called L'Arte Aiuta l'Arte, or "Art Helping Art." The idea is to raise awareness — and money — for those artistic treasures that need restoration, something the culture ministry says has become a Sisyphean task amid the euro crisis.

"Italy needs help restoring its art and monuments," says Anna Maria Buzzi, whose job is to protect and promote Italy's artistic heritage. "Ticket sales alone are not enough to completely fund their upkeep. We don't even have a full understanding of how much art exists in the country. We have to start somewhere, so we came up with 'Art Helping Art.' "

Here's how it works: The government selected eight pieces of art from across Italy deemed to be in need of repair, ranging from an ancient Roman marble horse to a painting by Renaissance master Pietro Perugino. Then, it posted pictures of them on Facebook, and asked people to vote for the work they felt was most deserving of a fix-up. The work that draws the most clicks wins the money raised at these late-night events.

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