Italian state museums open on Christmas 2023: success or flop?
Gennaro Sangiuliano, Italy's Culture Minister, revealed that state museums will have special holiday hours from December 24-26, 2023, as well as on December 31, January 1, and January 6, following discussions with unions on December 20. Employees had the option to volunteer for four-hour shifts, with a budget of €136,000 set aside for their pay. Due to a lack of volunteers, many museums were either closed or only partially operational. Among those open on Christmas were Museo dei Bronzi di Riace, MANN, Pompeii, Baths of Caracalla, Pantheon, Castel Sant'Angelo, Galleria Borghese, Palazzo Reale, and MarTa, primarily until 1 PM. While visitor statistics for December 25 and 26 were published, unions indicated that Christmas Day attendance was low. Minister Sangiuliano considered the initiative a triumph and proposed the idea of regular extraordinary openings.
Key facts
- Italian Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano pushed for extraordinary Christmas museum openings from December 24 to 26, 2023, and also on December 31, January 1, and January 6.
- The initiative was agreed on December 20 after union negotiations; employees could volunteer for a 4-hour shift with pay of €210 for operators and €230 for officials.
- Most staff did not volunteer, leading many museums to close or operate partially with outsourced precarious workers.
- Museums that opened on Christmas Day included Museo dei Bronzi di Riace, MANN, Pompeii, Baths of Caracalla, Pantheon, Castel Sant'Angelo, Galleria Borghese, Palazzo Reale di Genoa, and MarTa, mostly until 1 PM.
- Florence museums (Bargello, Uffizi, Medici Chapels) and Cenacolo Vinciano were closed on the 25th but open on the 26th.
- The Ministry released aggregate visitor numbers for December 25 and 26, not separate Christmas Day data.
- Unions and Mi Riconosci reconstructed Christmas Day figures: 200 at Colosseum, 10 at Castello Svevo Bari, 600 at Pompeii, 3 at Taranto, 1 at Pinacoteca Bologna.
- CGIL and UIL Taranto demanded the Ministry release actual Christmas Day data, citing economic cost and worker sacrifice.
Entities
Institutions
- Ministero della Cultura (MiC)
- Museo dei Bronzi di Riace
- MANN (Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli)
- Parco Archeologico di Pompei
- Terme di Caracalla
- Pantheon
- Castel Sant'Angelo
- Galleria Borghese
- Palazzo Reale di Genova
- MarTa (Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Taranto)
- Bargello
- Gallerie degli Uffizi
- Cappelle Medicee
- Cenacolo Vinciano
- Colosseo
- Foro Romano-Palatino
- Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze
- Reggia di Caserta
- Palazzo Pitti
- Giardino di Boboli
- Vittoriano e Palazzo Venezia
- Parco Archeologico di Ercolano
- Castello Svevo di Bari
- Villa Adriana
- Palazzo Ducale di Urbino
- Museo Archeologico dei Campi Flegrei
- Palazzo Barberini
- Terme di Diocleziano
- Pinacoteca di Bologna
- Ales Spa
- Mi Riconosci
- CGIL
- UIL Taranto
- Artribune
Locations
- Italia
- Reggio Calabria
- Napoli
- Pompei
- Roma
- Genova
- Taranto
- Firenze
- Caserta
- Ercolano
- Bari
- Tivoli (Villa Adriana)
- Urbino
- Bacoli (Museo Archeologico dei Campi Flegrei)
- Bologna