You’re planning a whirlwind tour of Italy for you summer vacation. You’ve picked the hotels, you know you need to avoid the Vatican Museums on Sundays, but otherwise, you think you’ve got it all planned. But did you know that many of Italy’s museums are still closed one day a week? Pretty surprising considering tourism is Italy’s biggest industry, isn’t it?
Rome
The large state museums in Rome are open daily, including the Colosseum, Forum and Capitoline Museums, though some of the smaller ones will be closed once a week, usually on Mondays, as will the city-run museums. The list below is correct at the time of publishing, but it’s always best to check on their website before you go.
Museums which are closed on Mondays
Galleria Borghese (open late on Thursdays)
Museo Nazionale Romano: Crypta Balbi, Palazzo Altemps, Palazzo Massimo, Baths of Diocletian)
National Art Galleries: Palazzo Barberini & Galleria Corsini
National Museum of Modern Art (GNAM)
National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia
Museums which are closed on other days
Vatican Museums – closed on Sundays
Catacombs of San Callisto – closed Wednesdays
Catacombs of St. Sebastian – closed Sundays
Catacombs of Domitilla – closed Tuesdays
Galleria Spada – closed Tuesdays
Florence
Mondays are the traditional closing day in Florence as well, which includes the Uffizi and Accademia. Mondays are a great day to visit the wonderful Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens on the other side of the river.
Naples
Down in Campania, Tuesday is their favored closing day. Aim to visit Pompeii and/or Herculaneum if you are there on a Tuesday, as these are always opened. But avoid the National Archaeological Museum in Naples or the Royal Palace of Caserta. While Museum of Capidimonte, high above the city, is closed on Wednesdays.
Venice
Venice is open most of the time. The Accademiacloses on Monday afternoons and the Peggy Guggenheim Collectionisn’t open on Tuesdays.
Milan
In Milan, Leonardo’s Last Supper isn’t visible on Mondays.
But don’t worry, when the museums are closed, there are plenty of other places to visit in and around each of these cities. Contact our experts to find out more:team@italyvacationspecialists.com