This year's Notte dei Musei attracted 10,000 more visitors than in 2019.

Rome's museums saw a boom in the number of visitors for the 2022 edition of Notte dei Musei which returned to the Italian capital on Saturday night after a two-year hiatus due to the covid pandemic.

The city's municipal museums, archaeological sites and cultural spaces welcomed more than 70,000 admissions during the event which began at 20.00 on 14 May and ended at 02.00 on 15 May.

The figure represented an increase of 10,000 compared to the last edition which was held in 2019, in pre-covid times, the city said in a statement.

The most popular museums on the night were Palazzo Braschi with 5,300 visitors, followed by the Capitoline Museums (4,600 visitors), Trajan's Markets (3,600) and Centrale Montemartini (2,700).

MAXXI and Palazzo delle Esposizioni each received 2,500 people, while the museum network of La Sapienza University welcomed around 12,000 visitors.

Participating institutions staged more than 100 cultural events, all with a symbolic entry fee of just €1.

Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri said the "extraordinary" event demonstrated "a great desire for culture, beauty and participation" and reflected a sign of revival for the capital.

Photos Sovrintendenza Roma