Italy is gifting its teens a 500-euro 'culture bonus' when they turn 18

Italy is a good place to live right now if you're about to turn 18. On Sept. 15, the Italian government is launching an initiative to encourage Italian youths' interest in culture by gifting its newly-minted adults 500 euros (about 565 U.S. dollars) on their 18th birthdays.
That chunk of change, dubbed a "culture bonus," can be used for "books, concert tickets, theater tickets, cinema tickets, museum visits, and trips to national parks," The Independent reported. Parliamentary undersecretary Tommaso Nannicini said he hopes the effort reminds Italian teens "how important cultural consumption is, both for enriching yourself as a person and strengthening the fabric of our society."
An estimated 575,000 teens are eligible for the gift this year, which will cost the Italian government about 290 million euros total.
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