As announced in the previous post on this subject, the very first Free Museum Week is here!

Settimana dei Musei, as it has been dubbed by Italy’s culture minister Alberto Bonisoli later last year, will replace the very popular Free Museum Sundays.

How does Settimana dei Musei work?

State museums and archaeological sites across Italy will be open for free for seven days between March 4-10, 2019.

This is a first batch of free entrances to be scattered throughout the whole year: every museum or landmark participating will be free to choose the rest of their own free events.

For instance, the Colosseum will be open for free on March 4-10 and then on

• May 9
• June 5
• June 29
• September 23
• October 4
• November 4
• November 22
• December 18

Every day in this particular calendar has a significance and it’s tied to the history of Italy and Rome.

When trying to book a ticket during Free Museum Week (or any other free entrance event from now on) it may appear that the site is closed for the day – that’s obviously not it and you will be able to access it for free. The scheme only extends to entrances, not the hiring of authorised guides.

More information, as well as the list of all participating sites, can be found on the new site Io Vado al Museo.

Of course the new program extends to all sites in Italy, but not those in the Vatican (e.g. The Vatican Museums) as that is a different sovereign country! Vatican City will continue to manage its own calendar of free visits.

In addition to Settimana dei Musei, visitors under 18 will visit state-owned museums for free regardless of when they go, while people between the ages of 18 and 25 will pay just €2.