The institutional drama of conservation

This study uses the case of the "Safeguard" of Venice-in which there is a continuous tension between the aspiration to "modernize" and to "restore" the city, its economy, and its surrounding lagoon environment-to highlight the symbolic function of heritage in shaping government policies. It demonstrates how the effectiveness of the national government as a guarantor of the Safeguard of Venice was questioned both in the name of tradition and of modernization and discusses the unintended consequences of this continuous dramatization of the state and its policies for the city. The study points at some challenges posed by heritage conservation on state identity at a time of increasing transnationalization of heritage policies and private sector involvement.