Uffizi Galleries Report Record 4.15 Million Visitors and €34M Revenue in 2018

The Uffizi Galleries in Florence, directed by Eike Schmidt, reported record results for 2018, with 4,153,101 visitors (up 6% from 2017) and revenues exceeding €34 million, a 112% increase from €16 million in 2014. The complex includes the Uffizi gallery, Palazzo Pitti, and Boboli Gardens. The Uffizi itself attracted 2,230,914 visitors (-0.2%), Boboli Gardens 1,188,409 (+9%), and Palazzo Pitti 735,390 (+25%). Revenue sources included ticket sales (€29.4 million), photography and publication sales, TV concessions, and private donations (€918,136). Schmidt attributed growth to destagionalization of tourist flows and measures to redistribute visitors from the Uffizi to other sites. The museum also gained 241,541 Instagram followers (+149%), ranking tenth globally. Meanwhile, the Galleria dell'Accademia, directed by Cecilie Hollberg, reported over 1.7 million visitors in 2018, with a 23% increase in winter exhibition attendance. A 2017 court order against unauthorized commercial use of Michelangelo's David image has generated about €50,000. Hollberg announced a new lecture series starting February 4, 2019, featuring directors of Italian state museums.