Abstract

This article evaluates the evidence concerning the free and charged attendance to Italian museums (and similar institutions) over the period 1996-2017, resorting to aggregate data. Specifically, we aim to assess whether the universal free entrance for the first Sunday of each month, established since July 2014, has been effective indeed in increasing also the charged attendance, as suggested by previous studies. We also deal with the possible effects of different design of rules concerning free entrance, like the rules in operation over the first months of 2019.