After the severe floods in the country, Italy has announced to hike museum fees of all museums by €1, to aid in the flood relief package.
Over the last few days, catastrophic floods have devasted the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy. To assuage the situation, the Italian government announced many relied measures. The Italian culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano also announced a €2 billion aid package for flood relief. As part of this, all state-run museums in Italy will increase their entry fee by €1. The hike would be temporary and will be in effect for 3 months, from June 15 to September 15.
However, the decision has not been welcomed by everyone in the country. One of the primary criticisms has been that the hike will only further scare away Italians from visiting museums. A report revealed that only 20% of Italians visited a museum in 2022 – the hike is feared to further reduce it. Critics include Giuliano Volpe, professor of archaeology at the University of Bari, who said: “I don’t think that this policy is right, if only for an evident lack of social equality. The country should be helping the young and unemployed.”
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Another criticism comes from those who have advocated for museums to be free for all citizens. These include Vittorio Sgarbi, undersecretary of the culture ministry, who has pushed back against the price hike. However, the majority of government officials and people in the Italian art world think that this small price hike would not have any significant adverse impact on attendance while contributing to the necessary relief measures.
