The scheme went live on Sunday in Rome at four major cultural sites including the Museum of the Ara Pacis, MAXXI museum of contemporary art and the Castel Sant’Angelo.
In 2022 the dog population in Italy amounted to approximately 8.8 million (excluding strays), making it the one of the largest in the European Union, according to the European Pet Food Industry Federation.
Museums in Italy offer free dog-sitting to encourage visitors The free-of-charge promotional service in Italy will run across 15 tourist hotspots until April 2026.
It will take in other major sites over the next including the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice and the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.
“This project means owners can enjoy culture without being separated from their pets, and dogs will suffer less stress than they would if left at home,” Dino Gasperini, director of Bauadvisor, told The Times.
