Notre-Dame and a host of other French monuments are in need of some hefty restoration, and France is launching a lottery to bring in cash for cultural sites. While other aspects of French culture in flux, the government is incentivising citizens to preserve significant cultural monuments.

Owning an Italian castle used to be a privilege available only to the 1% – but a new scheme aims to make such a dream possible for anyone. As part of Italy’s Strategic Plan for Tourism Development, 103 historic buildings are being given away for free, so long as they're turned into tourist spots.

Access to culture is invaluable; reading a great book or seeing a brilliant film can completely change your outlook and inspire new ambitions. So the Italian government has launched a scheme that will award 575,000 teenagers a €500 ‘cultural bonus’ on their 18th birthday.

People don’t spend hours browsing in bookstores anymore, instead relying on online recommendations. Consequently, publishers are having to rethink how to capture readers’ attention. Can Unbound – a platform that lets people influence and crowdfund the next great book – provide the answer?