As part of a promotional campaign, Italian museums are offering a new service to make their visitors more comfortable: free dog-sitting.
The pet company BauAdvisor began its service two years ago. Dog owners drop off their furry friends at the entrances of participating museums. For €10 per hour, the dogs will be looked after, walked, and fed while their owners spend time inside. The service has since spread to several hundred museums and cultural sites across Italy. However, starting on January 11th, BauAdvisor launched the Dog&Museum Road Show, a new program where services are free for one day a month in a different city. To kick things off, BauAdvisor offered their services free of charge at four of Rome’s major museums, including the MAXXI and the Castel Sant’Angelo. The free program will run one day a month in a different Italian city until April 2026. BauAdvisor plans to offer this free service at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. The next date will be February 2nd when they will provide their free dog-sitting services for museum-goers in Venice. Participating institutions will include the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the Correr Museum, the Ca’ Rezzonico (which houses Venice’s eighteenth-century art museum), and the Ca’ Pesaro (home to the International Gallery of Modern Art).
BauAdvisor says they launched the initiative to benefit pets and pet owners, providing them with the freedom to visit Italian cultural institutions without worrying about leaving their dog at home. Italy is home to roughly 8.8 million dogs, translating to one dog for every seven people. According to BauAdvisor’s director, Dino Gasperini, many pet owners (dog owners in particular) refrain from pursuing leisure activities because they don’t want to leave their dogs home alone for an extended period. Going out and visiting cultural centers is one such activity that can take a good deal of time out of one’s day, hence their focus on museums and other related sites. This initiative has allowed dog owners to enjoy their leisure activities without the burden of pet care. Meanwhile, their dogs are receiving loving care and not left lingering in an apartment. Outside of Italy, some similar services exist. In France, for example, a company called PatchGuard offers dog-sitting services, with a specific program for both French people and foreign tourists to watch after your pet while you go off and sightsee.