Hi all! I have taken advantage of free museum days in Florence before, but for the life of me, I can never remember where I find out what those days are, be it Heritage Week or Cultural Week or the monthly free day (the last Tuesday???) or whatever. Does someone know a good source of info as to what (if any) dates may be free of charge this year, in Florence or in Rome?
Thanks! Monique
Posted by
WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
Italy's Cultural Heritage Weekend is the last full weekend in September, but only the state-owned museums are free that day. Florence is a better choice than Rome, as all of the big museums in Florence are state-owned whereas many of the big sights in Rome are city- or provincial-owned, and there's a fee (although reduced) for the Colosseum/Forum. Rome has better free museum events earlier in the year, around the April/May timeframe as I recall. Website for the Cultural Heritage Weekend is www.beniculturali.it.
Posted by
Aiken, SC, USA
25 posts
FYI: The Minister of Culture has canceled the free week of museums due to the economy. "Bad news... The economic crisis has forced the Ministry of Culture to cancel culture week, which for years, for seven days, allowed free admission to about 419 state museums and archaeological sites. They are also cancelling museums for free on March 8, International Women's Day. They are instead promoting "two-for-one entry" on Valentine's Day.
"We can not afford to have the seven-day free entry in spring, a time of year when most visitors arrive. But we will keep the museums free entry on the last Sunday of each month when the Italian families are really in trouble, "said Anna Maria Buzzi who replaced Mario Resca in the Ministry of Culture."