Culture is the main driver of visits to Italy says a new analysis by AI-powered travel intelligence companies Data Appeal and Mabrian (Almawave).
Places like the Trevi Fountain (pictured) had a 67% year-on year increase in 2025 with 53.1k reviews, the strongest year-on-year growth among major landmarks and achieving a strong sentiment score of 89.5/100.
The Colosseum had 52.4K reviews, and a sentiment score of 92.5/100, while Milan’s Duomo ranks third (26.7K reviews) and stands out for particularly strong appreciation (93.7/100).
The Pantheon and St. Peter’s Basilica complete the top five, with St. Peter’s reaching 94.1/100 which, says Almawave, reinforces that high foot fall does not necessarily diminish visitor satisfaction. Couples were the most drawn to Italy’s art cities at 43%, followed by families (28%) and solo travellers (16%, up 3% year-on-year).
This, says the analysis, points to a gradual move toward more independent and personlised trips and aligns with Italy’s reputation as a destination where solo travellers can explore with relative ease and confidence. Groups accounted for 12% of cultural visitors.
Among the most reviewed museums are the Museo Leonardo da Vinci Interattivo in Florence, the Vatican Museums and the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.
Verona’s Juliet’s House has the highest year-on-year increase in review volume among both public and private museums at 19.1%.
The Reggia di Caserta in Campania ranks among the most reviewed museums nationwide, while Naples’ Museo Cappella Sansevero is the third fastest-growing museum by review volume. Other popular cultural destinations include Siena, Assisi, Caserta and Bari.
Arts and culture was the biggest visitor drawcard, accounting for 34.7% of travel motivation to Italy. Food and cuisine beckoned 16.2% of visitors; family activities 9.9%; nature 8.9%; shopping 8.2%; active lifestyle 8.1%; sunbathing 6.9%; nightlife 4.3%; and wellness was 2.9%.
Almawave says Italy remains the leading origin market by review volume.
France remains broadly stable year-on-year, while Germany declined from 7% to 5.5%, indicating subtle behavioural adjustments within Europe alongside an overall stable international mix, potentially linked to the renewed growth of domestic travel in Germany since 2024. See the report HERE.
