Have museums in Italy recovered from the impact of COVID-19?
In Italy, public museums are cultural institutions managed by the Italian Ministry of Culture (MiC) and local governmental authorities. Meanwhile, private museums are institutions managed by private entities. In 2022, the total number of visitors to museums and similar institutions in Italy, including both public and private organizations, reached nearly 108 million, tripling compared to the first year of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.However, looking at historical data on the attendance at state museums and similar cultural institutions in Italy reveals that, despite strong signs of recovery, visitor numbers remained below pre-pandemic levels, totaling roughly 47 million in 2022. This figure only refers to institutions run by the MiC, excluding other public and private museums. While the total income of state museums in Italy followed a similar trend, some institutions recovered from the impact of the health crisis in 2022. For instance, the income of the Colosseum grew by nine percent compared to 2019, and the attendance also surpassed pre-pandemic levels, making it the most visited tourist attraction in Italy that year, ahead of the Uffizi Galleries and Pompeii.
