Over 1.2 million people visited Rome’s city-run museums in 2006, up 50 per cent on 2005, according to Zetema, the organiser for Rome’s public museums and cultural events.

The number of visitors at the Capitoline Museums has doubled since it re-opened to the public in 2000. Palazzo Braschi has registered an increase from 30,879 visitors in 2005 to 74,000 in 2006 (also thanks to important exhibitions such as Ippolito Caffi and Henri Cartier-Bresson). Since its opening in April 2006 l’Ara Pacis has had more than 200,000 visitors.

The city council predicts that this trend will continue in 2007 and be further boosted by the re-opening of Palazzo delle Esposizioni (opening predicted September) and Trajan’s Markets (opening predicted in spring) this year.