Connect and enhance the different local cultures within a single European framework, at the same time preserving their singular specificities and their deep richness: according to Dimitrios Pandermalis, president of the Acropolis Museum in Athens and speaker at the ICS Rome 2014, this is the great challenge of contemporary Europe.

Interviewed at the end of the summit, Mr. Pandermalis reflects on culture as a valuable resource for the Old Continent and as a precious opportunity to face the current economic difficulties, Greek ones included. “We have much to learn from the past: during the crisis, in our country, history and monuments have represented a third dimension to our daily lives. The Past - continues Pandermalis - can light gray moments of today, it helps us to look beyond current situations and plan the future.”

The Acropolis Museum aims exactly at this combination of ancient/contemporary, whose formula - says its president - includes two key concepts: digital technologies, that are able to restore the statues to their original appearance; and daylight, that is able to give visitors a more authentic experience. “The perception of a sculpture - he explains - is strongly linked to the light. Continuously changing, daylight shows always different aspects to the eyes of the people.”

The contribution of the director of the Acropolis Museum has gone along with Fedora Filippi's speech. She is in charge of another important archaeological project in Europe: the Domus Aurea, that is the historic home of Nero. Pandermalis comments: “The Domus Aurea is inspired by many architectural and pictorial details of Hellenistic tradition: there are many points of connection and many contacts between these two dimensions."