Italian museums saw a rise in visitor figures in 2019, with the exception of some outdoor sites, which suffered from the frequent spells of bad weather. The Colosseum still stars as the major Italian attraction, despite a small drop (7,554.455 visitors in 2019, compared with 7650,519 of the previous year). The Uffizi continues to triumph in second place, while rain and winds did not deter an increasing number of visitors to Pompeii (almost 4 million visitors in 2019). Further down the list, but definitely up-and-coming museums like Naples' museum of Capodimonte, the Royal Palace and Castel Sant'Elmo scored considerable increases in visitors, as did the Academy Gallery and the Archaeological Museum in Venice and the Historic Museum of Miramare Castle in Trieste. The Ducal Palace of Mantua took a leap up into the top twenty, thanks mainly to a successful exhibition on Giulio Romano. Cultural and Heritage Minister Dario Francheschini commented with satisfaction that the success was the result of reforms launched in 2015 that gave many museums more organizational freedom and he plans to press forward with his policy of appointing more curator-managers with international experience capable of organizing events and introducing innovations to attract visitors.

Info:

Ministero Italiano Beni Culturale (MIBAC) www. beniculturale.it