FMS Academy: six young trainees start placements in Siena museums

Six young professionals begin FMS Academy internships

The Fondazione Musei Senesi has launched the FMS Academy training path for six selected young graduates. The programme blends classroom learning and on-site practice to strengthen skills in museum interpretation, communication, accessibility, digital tools and sustainability, with placements in several museums of the Siena network.

Programme aims

FMS Academy aims to provide under-30 participants with practical cultural sector experience, emphasizing:

• Heritage interpretation as a critical tool to make collections meaningful today;
• Museum communication and the use of digital technologies for visitor engagement;
• Accessibility and audience participation;
• Sustainability and management practices aligned with local contexts.

Specialist training

The initial month included shared training sessions with experts covering digital communication, heritage interpretation, accessibility, sustainability and interactive technologies. The interdisciplinary format supports innovative museum methodologies.

Host institutions

• Museo Civico di Siena
• Museo Civico per la Preistoria del Monte Cetona
• Pinacoteca Crociani, Montepulciano
• Museo del Paesaggio, Castelnuovo Berardenga
• Museo Civico Archeologico e della Collegiata, Casole d’Elsa

The trainees: profiles and placements

• Letizia Gagliano (Asti, 2000) – communication designer; assigned to the Fondazione’s offices.
• Denise Latrofa (Bari, 2001) – visual arts management specialist; placement at the Museo del Paesaggio in Castelnuovo Berardenga.
• Giulia Mozzini (Montepulciano, 1996) – art historian focused on digital tools; placed at the Pinacoteca Crociani in Montepulciano.
• Maddalena Postinger (Trento, 2001) – trained in painting and exhibition practice; hosted at the Museo Civico Archeologico e della Collegiata in Casole d’Elsa.
• Veronica Quagliata (Messina, 1997) – art history and cultural tourism graduate; starting with the Civic Museums and Collections of the Municipality of Siena.
• Lorenzo Testi (Poggibonsi, 1998) – specialist in prehistoric archaeology and heritage communication; assigned to the Museo Civico per la Preistoria del Monte Cetona.

Duration and career outlook

Internships are planned for six months, extendable by a further six months. The initiative aims to ease participants’ transition into the cultural job market by offering hands-on experience, collaboration with municipal administrations and project partners, and opportunities to apply newly acquired skills in museum contexts.