Pinacoteca Ambrosiana hits 300k visitors after strategic overhaul

Milan's Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, the city's oldest museum, has seen a dramatic surge in attendance from an average of 50,000–60,000 annual visitors to 250,000 in 2023 and a projected 300,000 in 2024. This turnaround is attributed to Secretary General Antonello Grimaldi, who joined in March 2022 and implemented a managerial strategy blending traditional curatorial expertise with modern communication and audience engagement. Grimaldi, who comes from outside the cultural sector, focused on inclusivity, digital outreach (including social media and a new podcast, The Podcast), and special events such as participation in Design Week (hosting Gaetano Pesce) and Bookcity. The museum also introduced evening openings at €3 and thematic guided tours. The institution, founded by Cardinal Federico Borromeo in 1607 as a public library and later a museum in 1618, houses masterpieces including Leonardo da Vinci's Codex Atlanticus, Caravaggio's Basket of Fruit, Raphael's cartoon for The School of Athens, and works by Titian, Botticelli, and Jan Brueghel. Grimaldi emphasizes a vision of museums as inclusive, non-elitist spaces that tell compelling stories, aiming to attract younger and broader audiences. The financial results show two consecutive years in the black, a first for the institution.