The anti-aircraft protection of the Museum of Potenza.

The aim of my contribution is to assess how the Italian state carried out a targeted plan to protect the Museum of Potenza in southern Italy. The event can be considered an essential case study to understand the role of national authorities in defending cultural heritage during a state of war. The museum has been founded in 1901 to store and exhibit substantial archaeological finds discovered in the the region of Basilicata. Once Italy entered World War II, collections were partially secured in a countryside shelter. Nevertheless, the museum was bombed in 1943 and suffered some damages. First, my essay introduces the history of the museum in the late 1930s and early 1940s in order to contextualise the institution in the wider context of Italian contemporary history. Second, I assess records from local archives which help us to better understand the conduct of local safeguarding authorities.