Italy’s film heritage gets own YouTube channel

Italian film industry officials announced a partnership with Internet giant Google on Thursday that will make more than 30,000 pieces of the country’s cinematic heritage available on a single YouTube page.

"This announcement represents an important step in our efforts to safeguard Italy's rich culture and allow global public access to it," said Federica Tremolada, YouTube partnerships manager for Italy, in a statement.

"The deal demonstrates how Italy is moving to embrace the web."

The institute's archives, being put on a special YouTube channel, include historical newsreels and material featuring Italian screen legends Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida.

YouTube viewers will be able to search through themed playlists of copyright-protected film material.

"Instead of fearing the net, one of Italy's most venerable names in culture is seizing a giant opportunity to both preserve – and profit – from its rich artistic heritage," said Tremolada in her statement on a Google blog.

In 2010, Google struck a deal with the Italian government to digitize one million books from the national libraries of Rome and Florence.

Google has also featured Italy's national monuments in its World Wonders project and partnered with museums for the Google Art project.