Free museums in 2023, when and how to visit them in Italy?
What are the dates of the free Sundays in 2023?Italy possesses an immense artistic heritage. We find art almost everywhere, even in unexpected places.
This allows us to say that we live in an immense open-air museum. We carry with us an artistic and cultural heritage spanning centuries of history; this precious heritage is stored in museums, palaces and places of art.
Did you know that there are also places of art at no cost? In addition to the most important and well-known museums in Italy, there are many interesting free museums in Italian cities that are worth a visit this year.
In this article we have compiled a guide to free museums in major cities and the ministerial initiative Sunday at the Museum.
Calendar and dates Free Sunday at the Museum 2023
5 February 2023
5 March 2023
2 April 2023
7 May 2023
4 June 2023
2 July 2023
6 August 2023
3 September 2023
1 October 2023
5 November 2023
3 December 2023
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Free museums
There are many exceptionally free museums and art spaces around Italy. They are minor museums, contemporary art spaces, theme museums and palaces. Let's discover together which museums are free in Italian cities and the reasons for visiting them without spending a cent.
In addition to the free museums all year round, there are the special openings and theMinistry of Culture's Sunday at the Museuminitiative that allows us to visit state museums, archaeological sites and monuments for free.
Among the free museums that are absolutely worth seeing is theHangar Bicocca in Milan, a contemporary art museum that is always free of charge and where you will find temporary and permanent exhibitions.
READ ALSO: EXHIBITIONS 2023
In Rome there are numerous free museums, among them the Napoleonic Museum housed in the Palazzo Primoli. You can visit Luigi Pirandello's house-studio and the Museum of Liberation for free.
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Free museums on the first Sunday of the month
Since 2014 there has been an interesting initiative of the Mibact that will take you to a museum for free. The initiative is called Io vado al Museo and will allow you to visit more than 480 sites including museums, monuments, archaeological sites, palaces and monumental gardens.
In addition to the free opening days decided independently by each museum, the ministerial calendar includes Sundays with free admission.
On the official Domenica al Museo website you can find a list of all the museums, archaeological sites and state parks open for free, divided by region and city.
Vatican Museums free of charge
Did you know that you can visit the Vatican Museums for free? Every last Sunday of the month the museum is exceptionally open to the public at no cost.
Opening hours are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the last admission is allowed until 12.30 p.m.; if the last day of the month coincides with a holiday, admission will be charged.
It is generally crowded but it is worth seeing Raphael's rooms, Giuseppe Momo's spiral staircase, the Pinacoteca, the Gallery of Maps and the Sistine Chapel.
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Free museums in Italy: which are they and where?
Museum | Address | Free |
|---|---|---|
Madre Museum | Via Luigi Settembrini 79, Naples | Every first Sunday of the month |
Hangar Bicocca | Via Chiese 2, Milan | Always |
Colosseum | Piazzale del Colosseo, Rome | Every first Sunday of the month |
Royal Palace of Caserta | Viale Douhet 2, Caserta | Every first Sunday of the month |
Uffizi Gallery | Piazzale degli Uffizi 6, Florence | Every first Sunday of the month |
Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art | Via Magenta 31. Turin | Every first Tuesday of the month |
Galleries of Italy | Piazza della Scala 6, Milan | Always |
Fruit Museum | Via Pietro Giuria 15, Turin | Every Wednesday |
Henrik Chistian Andersen Museum | Via Pasquale Stanislao Mancini 20, Rome | Always |
Historical Museum of Liberation | Via Tasso 145, Rome | Always |
Free Museums Rome
There are numerous museums in Rome that you can visit for free. Some are permanently free, others are only free some days or periods of the year. Among those free all year round you can visit:
San Luca National Gallery, always free
Museo Storico della Liberazione, always free
Museo Casal de' Pazzi, always free
Boncompagni Ludovisi Museum, always free
Mario Praz Museum, always free
Museo Napoleonico, always free
Casa Museo di Pirandello, always free
Museo della Zecca Italiana, always free
Istituto Centrale per la Grafica, always free
The list of museums open every first Sunday of the month in Rome on the occasion of Sunday at the Museum can be found at this link.
Free museums Milan
Here we have selected the free museums to visit in Milan.
Gallerie d'Italia, the museum centre of Intesa San Paolo, always free of charge
Boschi di Stefano House-Museum, always free
Hangar Bicocca, always free
Museo del Risorgimento, free entrance every day from 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm (closed on Mondays)
Musei del Castello Sforzesco and Michelangelo's Pietà Rondanini, free entrance every Tuesday from 2pm; Wednesday to Sunday from 4pm to 5pm
Galleria Arte Moderna, free every day one hour before closing.
Milan Civic Aquarium, free entrance every Tuesday from 2pm; Wednesday to Sunday from 4.30pm to 5pm.
The list of free museums every first Sunday of the year can be found at this link.
Free museums Turin
Here is the list of the museums in Turin that can be visited for free. Here instead is the list of the museums in Turin taking part in the Sunday at the museum initiative.
Fruit Museum, free every Wednesday
Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, free every first Tuesday of the month
Museum of Oriental Art, free every first Tuesday of the month
Palazzo Madama, free every first Wednesday of the month
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Free museums in Naples
A selection of Naples' museums free every first Sunday of the month can be found here.
PAN, free admission
Madre Museum, free every first Sunday of the month
Certosa and Museo di San Martino, free every first Sunday of the month
Palazzo Zevalos, free every first Sunday of the month
Naples Archaeological Museum, free every first Sunday of the month
Girolamini Complex, free on the first Sunday of the month
Reggia di Caserta (in the surrounding area) first Sunday of every month
Free museums in Florence
Uffizi Gallery, first Sunday of the month
Bargello National Museum, first Sunday of the month
Accademia Gallery, first Sunday of the month
Medici Chapels Museum, first Sunday of the month
Pitti Palace, first Sunday of the month
Boboli Gardens, first Sunday of the month for non-residents
Davanzati Palace Museum, first Sunday of the month
Here you will find the complete list of museums participating in Sunday at the Museum.
Free museums Padua
In addition to the free museums on the first Sunday of the month, on the occasion of Christmas the Municipality of Padua offers free admission to Palazzo della Ragione, Musei Civici agli Eremitani and Palazzo Zuckermann for residents of Padua and its province and for university students.
Here is a selection of the museums participating in Sunday at the Museum.
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