Italian museums expand dog-friendly services with TripForDog.com partnerships

Italian museums are increasingly adopting dog-friendly policies, with Bologna's Istituzione Bologna Musei leading as the first Italian museum system to officially offer dog-friendly entertainment services through an agreement with Bauadvisor. Other institutions like Hangar Bicocca in Milan, Museo Nazionale del Cinema, Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile, and Palazzo Madama in Turin accept small dogs. The Musei di Maremma launched the 'Musei a 4 Zampe' project, including Villa Sforzesca di Castell'Azzara, mining museums in Massa and Gavorrano, and Museo Archeologico di Saturnia. TripForDog.com, the first four-legged travel agency, has partnered with five iconic Italian sites—Uffizi, Galleria dell'Accademia, and Duomo in Florence; Vatican Museums and Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome; the Leaning Tower of Pisa; and Pompeii archaeological site—to offer dog-sitting services. CEO Marco Fabris, who owns a dog named Mela (honorary president of TripForDog.com), explains that selected professionals care for dogs during visits. At the Vatican Museums, a certified dog sitter picks up the dog at the entrance and returns it after 4 hours. In Florence, the Uffizi service starts mid-September; currently a package includes three museums, a guide, and overnight stay at a B&B. Castel Sant'Angelo and the Leaning Tower of Pisa also offer skip-the-line access with dog-sitting. TripForDog.com has taken over one million 'extended families' on vacation in the past six years.