by Redazione 28/10/2026
Categories: News / Disclaimer
Istat’s 2026 BES report paints a picture of a country where museum attendance is on the rise, but deep regional disparities remain. Public spending on culture and the landscape is below the European average, and cultural heritage continues to be concentrated in a few major centers. The data.
In Italy , museum visitors increased by 8.4% compared to 2019, but public funding for culture and the landscape remains below the European average. This is the picture that emerges from Istat’s 2026 Report on Equitable and Sustainable Well-being in Italy (BES), which devotes a chapter to the relationship between cultural heritage, the landscape, and quality of life.
The picture is a complex one: some indicators show signs of recovery, but regional disparities remain significant, and various environmental challenges have worsened over the past decade. Italy’s cultural heritage continues to hold a prominent position on the international stage, while efforts to protect it must contend with limited resources, pressure from economic activities, and changes to the landscape.
More museum visitors, but offerings remain concentrated
In 2025, there were approximately 4,700 exhibition venues open to the public in Italy, including museums, galleries, archaeological sites and parks, monuments, and monumental complexes. Their number increased by 5.9% compared to 2022, though it remained below pre-pandemic levels. Visitor numbers, however, exceeded those of 2022 by 30.5% and those of 2019 by 8.4%.
However, the growth in visitor numbers did not alter the geographic distribution of cultural offerings. The Istat indicator that measures the density of exhibition venues—taking into account the number of visitors—reached a value of 2.21 weighted venues per 100 square kilometers in Central Italy, 1.85 in Northern Italy, and 0.95 in Southern Italy in 2025. Compared to 2022, the indicator has increased by 2.8%, 8.2%, and 5.6%, respectively.
The differences are even more evident when examining regional data. Lazio recorded a value of 6.79 weighted facilities per 100 square kilometers, followed by Campania with 3.53 and Tuscany with 2.99. Lombardy and Veneto both stand at around 1.80.
The concentration of the highest figures in regions hosting the main hubs of cultural tourism thus remains a defining feature of the Italian system. The recovery in museum attendance does not, in fact, coincide with a uniform distribution of facilities or their ability to attract visitors.
Spending on culture is growing, but Italy remains below the European average
Another significant figure concerns public resources allocated to culture and the landscape. In 2024, Italian public spending on cultural services and the protection of biodiversity and the landscape amounted to 0.48% of GDP, compared to a European Union average of 0.57%. In the ranking of the 27 member states, Italy ranks 20th, ahead of Germany but behind the other major economies considered in the report: France allocates 0.70% of its GDP to these areas, while Spain allocates 0.64%.
Over the 2014–2024 decade, however, Italian spending increased by 49.6% at current prices, a rise lower than the 54.6% increase recorded overall in the European Union.
Municipal budgets also show growth, but with marked regional differences. In 2024, municipalities’ current spending on the protection and promotion of cultural and landscape heritage and activities rose to 23.5 euros per inhabitant, one euro more than in 2023 and 6.2 euros more than the low point in 2020. Compared to 2014, when spending was 18.9 euros per capita, the increase was 24.3%.
However, the share of this item in the total current expenditures of municipal administrations fell from 2.8% to 2.7%. Above all, the national average masks a significant imbalance: municipalities in the North spend 29.3 euros per resident and those in the Center 28.6, while in the South the figure stands at just 12.5 euros.
At the regional level, the gap is even wider. The lowest figure is in Campania, at just 6.4 euros per capita—less than one-tenth of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, which reaches 65.3 euros and tops the rankings. Among the ordinary-statute regions, the highest figure is in Tuscany, at 38 euros per inhabitant. The report notes that in the autonomous regions and provinces, municipal jurisdiction over cultural matters may be broader than that provided for in the ordinary-statute regions: a factor to consider in the comparison.
The Rural Landscape: Between Preservation and Transformation
Italy’s cultural heritage is not limited to monuments and museums. A significant part of its identity is linked to rural landscapes, traditional agricultural practices, and the balance between human activities and the land.
In this context, the National Register of Historic Rural Landscapes and Traditional Agricultural Practices, established in 2012 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forests, includes 34 landscapes and 8 agricultural practices spread across 16 regions. Tuscany is the most heavily represented region, with seven landscapes and one agricultural practice.
Among the most recent additions, in 2025, are the landscape of the “almond and olive groves” and the citrus groves of the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. In 2026, “Terre di Calenzano: farm villas, traditional olive groves, and woodlands” in Tuscany; the free-range breeding of Maremma cattle and horses managed by “butteri” (traditional herders), straddling Lazio and Tuscany; and the “straight furrow” plowing technique in Campania. At the international level, the FAO’s GIAHS program—dedicated to Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems—also operates, identifying and protecting landscapes of aesthetic and historical-cultural interest characterized by significant biodiversity. Three sites have been recognized in Italy: the traditional vineyards of Soave, in Veneto, in 2018; the olive groves on the slopes between Assisi and Spoleto, in Umbria, in the same year; and the lemon groves and terraced agricultural system of Amalfi, in Campania, in 2025.
The report notes, however, that the rural landscape continues to undergo significant transformations. Indicators related to the erosion of rural areas, updated on a decadal basis, show a deterioration between 2011 and 2021. The proportion of national territory affected by erosion linked to the abandonment and depopulation of rural areas rose from 35.1% to 38.9%; the proportion associated with urban expansion increased from 22.5% to 24.1%.
These are different phenomena, but both affect the preservation of cultivated landscapes: on the one hand, the abandonment of agricultural activities and depopulation; on the other, land consumption linked to urbanization.
Agritourism: A Sector That Is Slowing Down but Has Growth Potential in the South
Agritourism is also among the indicators used to analyze the relationship between the economy and the landscape. In 2024, there were 26,360 active agritourism businesses in Italy, with an average density of 8.7 establishments per 100 square kilometers.
The sector continues to expand, but at a slower pace than in the past. The annual growth rate fell from 4.1% in 2019 to 0.9% in 2024. Growth remains more robust in the South, where the number of farms increased by 2.5% over the past year, while in the North and Central regions, growth stalled at 0.5%.
Differences are also evident in regional density: 4.2 businesses per 100 square kilometers in the South, 9.6 in the North, and 16.6 in the Center. The Autonomous Province of Bolzano has the highest density, with 46.3 businesses per 100 square kilometers. Another area of high concentration includes Liguria, Tuscany, Umbria, and the Marche, which together account for 34.2% of Italian businesses. In Tuscany, the density reaches 25.5 businesses per 100 square kilometers, while in the Marche it stands at 12.
The sector’s growth is also reflected in economic output, which has increased by an average of 5.3% annually at current prices since 2014. In 2024 alone, the increase was 3.3%, with no significant differences across geographic regions. Arrivals reached 4.7 million, up 4.3% from the previous year, with foreign tourists accounting for 54.8% of the total. The slowdown in recent years suggests that the market is gradually maturing. Between 2019 and 2024, the number of agritourism operations in several regions grew less than in the previous five-year period; in Valle d’Aosta, Umbria, Molise, Calabria, and Sardinia, there was even a decrease in the number of active operations.
According to the report, the southern regions still have greater potential for growth. The expansion of agritourism could help supplement agricultural income and counteract the abandonment of inland areas, with possible positive effects on the protection and enhancement of the rural landscape.
Historic Villas, Parks, and Gardens: An Ecological Heritage as Well
Historic green spaces represent another component of cultural heritage that the report links to the quality of urban environments. This category includes villas, parks, and gardens of artistic or historical interest, as well as other green areas of particular value, protected by the Code of Cultural Heritage and Landscape.
In Italy’s provincial capitals, these areas account for over 10% of urban green space. In 2024, their density stood at 1.60 square meters per 100 square meters of urbanized area, a figure that remained essentially stable compared to previous years. The highest regional figure was recorded in Umbria, at 4.66 square meters per 100 square meters of urbanized area.
Here, too, the data reveal a geographical disparity. In the regional capitals of the North, the average density is 2.13 square meters per 100 square meters, with the highest value in the Northwest at 2.75. In Central Italy, it drops to 1.40, and in Southern Italy to 0.95.
Historic green spaces therefore have dual significance: they are part of the protected cultural heritage and contribute to the quality of urban ecosystems. Their distribution, however, is not uniform across the country.
Quarries and Resource Consumption: Pressure on the Territory
Among the critical issues highlighted by Istat is the intensity of mining activities. In 2023, 95.8 million cubic meters of non-energy mineral resources were extracted in Italy, largely destined for the construction sector. Over 90% of the material came from quarries, mostly open-pit operations.
Extraction pressure stood at 308 cubic meters per square kilometer, the same figure as the previous year and slightly below the peak of 310 recorded in 2021. During the decade from 2014 to 2023, an average of 2,840 cubic meters of material was extracted per square kilometer of national territory. These materials consist primarily of limestone, sand, and gravel, which in 2023 accounted for 38% and 37.3%, respectively, of the volume of resources extracted from quarries.
The intensity of extraction varies significantly from one area to another. In the Northwest, it reaches 421 cubic meters per square kilometer, and in Lombardy, it rises to 598. In the Northeast, the average is 302, while in Central Italy it reaches 338, with peaks of 474 in Umbria and 432 in Veneto. The South and the Islands show lower values, at 239 and 252 cubic meters per square kilometer, respectively. After the pandemic, however, Calabria and Sardinia recorded significant increases of 63.4% and 53.2%, respectively, compared to 2020.
In a European comparison, Italy’s domestic extraction intensity of non-energy resources was below the European Union average during the period under review: approximately 758 metric tons per square kilometer per year, compared to 829. This figure is calculated in units of mass, whereas the national indicator used to measure extraction pressure is expressed in volume.
Forest fires are increasing, especially in Southern Italy
The most marked deterioration among environmental indicators concerns forest fires. In 2025, the forest area affected by fire was 2.9 square kilometers per 1,000 square kilometers of territory, compared to 1.8 in 2024. This represents a 66.9% increase.
However, this figure remains lower than the peaks exceeding 5 per thousand recorded in 2017 and 2021, as well as the average for other Southern European countries in the European Union, which reached 7.7 per thousand in 2025. However, this comparison should be viewed with caution, as European and Italian estimates use different survey methods.
The increase in 2025 is particularly significant because, according to the report, the weather conditions conducive to wildfires did not differ substantially from those of the previous year. The increase in the area burned cannot therefore be attributed entirely to environmental conditions and suggests a possible intensification of human-induced factors. Istat also highlights the vulnerability of Mediterranean forest ecosystems and the risks associated with global warming.
The situation is particularly critical in Southern Italy, where the area affected by fire has nearly doubled, reaching 6.5 square kilometers per 1,000 square kilometers. In Sicily, the indicator rises to 12.5 per thousand and in Calabria to 10.7, values that exceed even the average for the 2015–2024 decade. Levels above the ten-year average are also recorded in Campania and, above all, in Puglia and Basilicata.
In Central Italy, however, the figure fell from 1.5 to 1.2 per thousand, while in Northern Italy it remained stable at 0.1. Liguria and Sardinia are among the regions that recorded the sharpest declines.
According to estimates cited in the report, only about 2% of fires affecting at least one hectare of land in Italy are triggered by natural causes; the rest are attributed to human activity, whether intentional or accidental.
Perceptions of the landscape vary between cities and small towns
Indicators on citizens’ perceptions paint an equally varied picture. In 2025, 21.4% of people aged 14 and older reported being dissatisfied with the landscape where they live, considering it to be in a state of evident degradation. This figure is slightly lower than the 22.2% recorded in 2024—following three consecutive years of increase—and has returned to pre-pandemic levels.
However, this improvement does not apply equally to all areas. In small municipalities with up to 2,000 residents, the proportion of dissatisfied residents fell to 11.3%, a decrease of 3.4 percentage points from the previous year. In central municipalities within metropolitan areas, by contrast, it reaches 34.7%, compared to 24.3% in the outlying municipalities of those same areas.
The geographic distribution is also significant. In the South, dissatisfaction affects 27.5% of the population, peaking at 35.3% in Campania. In Central Italy, it stands at 21.8%, but in Lazio it rises to 28.6%. In the North, the rate drops to 16.8%, reaching a low of 8.9% in the Autonomous Province of Trento.
Differences related to age and educational level are more modest. Dissatisfaction reaches 24.6% among people aged 35–44 and 23.4% among college graduates.
A different but complementary indicator relates to concern about landscape degradation, which measures attention to landscape protection and land consumption. In 2025, the share of concerned individuals rose to 13.6%, an increase of 0.7 percentage points compared to 2024.
This figure remains lower than that of 2013, when the indicator stood at 17.3%, but higher than the all-time low of 11.8% recorded in 2022. The report also links this decline to the greater presence in public debate of other environmental issues, particularly climate change and biodiversity loss, whose perceived importance had increased over the previous decade.
Concern about landscape deterioration is more widespread in the North, where it reaches 15.7%, peaking at 22.3% in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano. In the South, it drops to 11%, reaching a low of 6.2% in Basilicata. Compared to dissatisfaction with the landscape of one’s place of residence, this indicator shows smaller differences among the various types of municipalities and among population groups.
The combination of these two data points highlights a significant regional difference: in the South, a greater perception of degradation coexists with a lower reported concern about landscape deterioration; in the North, and particularly in mountainous regions, a generally more positive assessment of one’s place of residence corresponds to greater attention to its preservation.
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| Italian museums are attracting more and more visitors, but in the South, municipalities spend less than half as much on culture |
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