Record Museum Attendance in Italy: Colosseum and Pantheon Lead the Way
In 2023, Italian museums experienced a record-breaking 58 million visitors, nearly matching the population of Italy. This impressive figure represents an increase of 10.7 million visitors compared to 2022, a growth of almost 23%. Compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2018, there is an increase of 2.4 million visitors.
Top Museums in Italy
The most visited site was the Colosseum with over 12 million entries. The Pantheon followed with more than 5 million visitors, reflecting both free and paid admission periods. The Uffizi Galleries took third place, followed by the Pompeii Archaeological Park, the Accademia Gallery in Florence, Castel Sant’Angelo, the Egyptian Museum in Turin, the Royal Palace of Caserta, Hadrian’s Villa and Villa d’Este, and the Vittoriano and Palazzo Venezia.
Significant Visitor Increases
Significant increases were noted for the Accademia Gallery and the Bargello Museums in Florence, each seeing a rise of over 40% in visitors.
Financial Impact
Total revenues reached €313.9 million, up 34% from the previous year and 30% higher than the pre-COVID peak in 2019.
Statements from Officials
Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, expressed pride in Italy’s cultural heritage, noting the rise in both visitors and revenues, which can further enhance museum offerings. The positive trend was echoed by Massimo Osanna, Director General of Museums, who highlighted the success of the ‘Italian Museums’ app. Launched a year ago, the app now includes over 400 state institutions and has garnered interest from the autonomous region of Sicily, which seeks to join the platform. Currently, 130 of these museums use the direct ticketing management system provided by the app.
(Source: ANSA)
