Italian museum rankings 2019: Colosseum leads, MANN enters top ten

The Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities (Mibact) has released its annual ranking of the top 30 state museums and archaeological parks based on ticket sales, including free admissions. The Colosseum remains firmly in first place with over 7.5 million visitors, followed by the Uffizi Galleries with nearly 4.4 million and Pompeii with about 4 million. Notable movers include the Royal Palace of Caserta in eighth position and the National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN) entering the top ten for the first time, with over 670,000 visitors, a 9% increase from the previous year. MANN director Paolo Giulierini highlighted that the museum is the first entirely dedicated to classical archaeology in the top ten and ranks fourth among single-site Italian museums. The Galleria Nazionale delle Marche saw a 36.8% increase, climbing seven spots to 26th place with about 265,000 visitors, its highest ranking since 2012. The Museo di Capodimonte in Naples also grew by 34.2%, reaching nearly 253,000 visitors and entering the top 30. Minister Dario Franceschini attributed the growth to investments in museum reform, the selection of qualified directors (including foreign nationals), and enhanced promotion, noting that both major and lesser-known museums are seeing increasing attendance, which benefits the economy of cities and regions.