The most significant moment of Progetto Cultura is the creation of the Gallerie d'Italia. Intesa Sanpaolo's museums and cultural centers present throughout the country come together under this name: the bank's historic buildings located in the heart of Italian cities are used as exhibition venues to make the most important collections owned by them accessible. The declared ambition is to create a network that embraces the entire country, made up of suitable places to encourage the public's interest and approach to art in its various expressions, centers destined to host temporary exhibitions, cultural initiatives and scientific, musical programs and educational workshops. The conception of the Gallerie d'Italia stems from the desire - perceived as a duty - to share with the community and to put the huge heritage belonging to Intesa Sanpaolo at the service of the cultural growth of the country. Made up of valuable art collections (from archaeological finds to evidence of the twentieth century, about 20,000 works of which 10,000 of particular historical-artistic interest), from buildings of great architectural and civil importance, from precious archival material, this heritage has been inherited by the about 250 banking institutions from various Italian regions that have merged into the Group. The Gallerie d'Italia project reached one of its most important moments with the opening of the Gallerie di Piazza Scala in Milan.