Milan's Culture Department Releases First Annual Report with 100 Pages of Data

The City of Milan's Culture Department has published its first Annual Report for 2025, a 100-page document detailing the civic cultural system. Presented by Councillor Tommaso Sacchi and Director Domenico Piraina at the Museo del Novecento, the report outlines the 'Hardware culturale'—29 libraries, 4 storage facilities, 32 museums and exhibition spaces, 22 theaters, and 1 contemporary art park (ArtLine at CityLife)—spanning over 300,000 square meters. The 'Software culturale' includes 72 temporary exhibitions, over 12,000 events with more than 450,000 participants. The total budget reached nearly €73 million, with €30 million in capital investments. Live performances absorbed 64% of current non-earmarked spending, while half of capital investments went to libraries, including the new Lorenteggio library (€1.3 million) and the automated storage for the future BEIC. Revenue grew 17.6% from 2024, with museum ticket income exceeding €3 million and exhibition royalties rising from €605,000 to over €805,000. Key projects include the opening of CASVA in the QT8 district, safety interventions costing over €1.5 million, and 17 active construction sites. The report also highlights cultural soft power: civic museums and exhibition spaces attracted 2,724,322 visitors in 2025. The Culture Department employs 910 staff (6.7% of municipal personnel).