The Political Economy of Rehabilitation: The case of the Benedettini Monastery

This chapter is aimed at exploring some aspects related to the issue of conservation, using as a case study the conservation of the Benedettini Monastery in Catania. Starting from this case, we will try to draw attention to general issues of political economy, such as the identification of the actors involved in decisions about conservation, the ways in which conservation can be carried out and the role of the consumers/users. Four questions will be addressed: (i) What should be conserved? (ii) Why do we conserve? (iii) Who should conserve? (iv) How should conservation be carried out?