The President of Santa Maria della Scala, Cristiano Leone, has been awarded the prestigious Cultural Leadership Award.

As part of the fourth edition of Italian Design Week, an event to be held in October in Washington, D.C., the presence of the President of the Fondazione Antico Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala in Siena stands out. A presence rooted in a shared vision: that of an Italy which does not merely safeguard its heritage, but transforms it into a universal language.

This idea is fully reflected in the work carried out by Santa Maria in recent years, marked by the search for diverse forms of expression and the synthesis of artistic, cultural, and social perspectives. Since taking the helm of the Foundation in 2023, Leone has launched an ambitious architectural masterplan encompassing the entire Santa Maria complex, creating a path that blends preservation, innovation, and community space. In doing so, he has restored to Siena’s former hospital a leading role in the city’s social fabric, also as a hub for gathering and exchange.

The first results were quick to arrive: the complex has already seen a significant increase in visitors thanks to temporary exhibitions and major performance events, which in 2024 alone brought one hundred thousand visitors. A threshold Santa Maria is poised to surpass again this year, having already exceeded sixty thousand visitors, with an event-filled season still ahead.

“Receiving this recognition,” said Cristiano Leone, “means reaffirming that the enhancement of Italian heritage rests on two inseparable pillars: artistic vision and strategic management. Only in this way can the history of our country and its vast artistic heritage engage with the future and be transmitted to it—transforming ever more into a collective asset, expressed through a universal language that speaks of both continuity and innovation.”

“The Cultural Leadership Award,” declared Roberta Marcenaro, founder of Italian Design Week, “was born from the vision that Italy not only safeguards but relaunches its heritage as a lever of global competitiveness and cultural diplomacy. Cristiano Leone embodies Italy’s ability to unite tradition and experimentation, and his cultural vision gives voice to an Italy that knows how to communicate with the world through innovative languages.”

From La Nazione | Riccardo Bruni