Summer nights at the museum 2017

Museums, archaeological parks and monuments come back to life in the warm summer evenings, offering the public an alternative new way to spend pleasant hours enjoying art, culture and entertainment. The special evening openings of the great museums and the less well-known, but no less suggestive cultural sites, offer the unmissable opportunity to experience cultural heritage under the light of the stars.

Some of the events in the programme:

Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan
On the first and third Thursdays of each month, the Pinacoteca opens its doors to the public in the evening hours from 19.15 until 22.15 (the ticket office closes at 21.40), offering concerts with the Brera Musica initiative and the cycle of events “7 Brera di Sera per Milano“: seven evenings that celebrate seven important events of the city, from La Milanesiana to Book City. For further information visit pinacotecabrera.org

Palazzo Ducale, Mantua | until 29 September
The museum is open until 22.15 every Friday evening. During the evening openings on 7 July, 4 August, and 1 September, beginning at 21.00, the museum offers the initiative “I cieli stellati dei Gonzaga” (The starry sky of the Gonzagas) to discover the constellations of the painted boreal hemisphere in the Sala dello Zodiaco. For further information visit mantovaducale.beniculturali.it

Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice | until 12 October
A series of special 3-hour evening openings as a continuation of the normal opening hours of the museum, offering the opportunity to visit the five ground floor rooms – with their collection of important Venetian and Veneto paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries – and the temporary exhibition Philip Guston & The Poets, a collateral event of the 2017 Art Biennale. Admission 3,00 € (full price) and 1,50 € (reduced). For dates and information visit gallerieaccademia.it

Museo Palazzo Reale, Genoa | until 21 October
Every Saturday evening the museum opens its doors to visitors from 19.00 until 22.00. Admission 6,00 € (full price) and 3,00 € (reduced), free for under 18s. For further information visit palazzorealegenova.beniculturali.it

Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence | until 7 September
Special evening opening every Thursday from 19.00 until 22.00, to admire Michelangelo’s extraordinary nucleus of sculptures and the collection of 13th century paintings. Admission to the museum 8,00 €. The ticket office closes at 21.30. Visits can be booked in advance at galleriaaccademiafirenze.beniculturali.it

Gallerie degli Uffizi, Florence | until 26 September
The second edition of the #UffiziLive initiative puts the spaces and the works of the Uffizi in dialogue with the live arts during the extended Tuesday evening openings, from 19.00 until 22.00. The festival offers performances, music, dance and theatre with artists from all over Italy and abroad. For the programme visit uffizi.beniculturali.it

Musei del Bargello, Florence | until the end of September
The return of extended openings for the small museums that form part of the complex: Museo di Orsanmichele, Museo di Palazzo Davanzati, Museo delle Cappelle Medicee, and Museo di Casa Martelli will be open to the public every Thursday from 17.00 until 20.00 until 3 August. In September there will be special extended Thursday openings at Museo Nazionale del Bargello and Museo delle Cappelle Medicee only. For information visit bargellomusei.beniculturali.it

Galleria nazionale delle Marche, Urbino | until 5 October
In addition to the normal all-day Saturday openings there are special Thursday evening openings of the Torricino Nord at Palazzo Ducale, to enjoy the view of the beautiful surrounding landscape and the city. For further information visit gallerianazionalemarche.it

Museums and state cultural places in Lazio | until 22 September
ArtCity is the summer offer of the Polo Museale del Lazio: more than a hundred high-quality appointments with the art, architecture, literature, music, theatre, dance and audiovisual art of the most beautiful museums in the region, from the very central Palazzo Venezia and Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome to the outstanding Abbazia di Casamari at Veroli or the Museo archeologico nazionale di Sperlonga. For the programme visit www.art-city.it

Museo nazionale etrusco di Villa Giulia, Rome | until 14 October
From 15 July there are special Saturday evening openings of the museum from 19.30 until 22.30. In September the evening openings are also extended to Friday 15 and Friday 29. Tickets: 3,00 € (full price) and 1,50 € (reduced). For further information visit villagiulia.beniculturali.it and the Facebook page of the museum.

Museo archeologico nazionale di Napoli, Naples | until 28 September
Every Thursday evening there is a programme of lectures, concerts, plays, guided visits and tastings at MANN, which will be open from 19.00 until 23.00, with the exhibition “Le arti in Giardino” (The arts in the Garden). For further information visit museoarcheologiconapoli.it

Parco archeologico di Paestum, Capaccio (SA) | until 15 September
Every Friday at 21.00 until 15 September, “Musica ai Templi” (Music at the Temples) offers a cycle of concerts framed by the Temple of Neptune. Until 27 August from Thursday to Sunday, the initiative “Paestum by night – archeologia sotto le stelle” (Paestum by night – archaeology under the stars) enables visitors to take enchanting walks among the temples, from sunset onwards. Tickets: 11,00 € after 19.00 (last admission 23.00). For information visit museopaestum.beniculturali.it

Parco archeologico di Ercolano | until 6 October
For twelve Fridays beginning from July, the site at Herculaneum will be open in the evenings from 19.50 until 23.00. Admission 2,00 €, last admission 22.00. For further information visit beniculturali.it

Museo archeologico nazionale di Taranto | until 22 September
From 20.00 until 23.00 every Friday evening the museum opens its doors to the public with the “MArTA by night” initiative, offering conversations with experts, and special visits. Advance booking is advisable. For further information visit museotaranto.org

Museo nazionale archeologico di Altamura | until 11 September
Monday 7 and 21 August and Monday 11 September: special openings from 20.00 until 23.00 with free admission to the museum, which becomes the stage for performances organised with the Obiettivo Successo academy as part of the “Story Telling” project. For updates visit the Facebook page of the museum.

Museo archeologico nazionale di Reggio Calabria | until 16 September
For the summer months the museum has organised the initiative #NottidestatealMArRC, with evening openings every Thursday and Saturday until 23.00 and last admission at 22.30. Tickets: 3,00 € from 20.00 onwards. For the calendar of events see the Facebook page of the museum.

(Cover illustration: Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia, Rome)