The Uffizi Galleries in Florence has confirmed it was the target of a cyberattack on February 1, while insisting that no artworks or security systems were compromised.
Museum officials said nothing was stolen or damaged and that public access, ticketing and visitor areas have continued to operate largely as normal.
Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported hackers had penetrated IT systems, allegedly extracting access maps, CCTV locations and triggering a ransom demand sent to director Simone Verde's phone.
The attackers reportedly threatened to sell the material on the dark web.
The Uffizi challenged that account, saying the systems that protect its collections are internal and closed off from outside access.
It denied passwords or staff phones were taken and maintained there is no proof intruders obtained detailed security maps.
Corriere said the breach affected the Uffizi and its nearby sites, including Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens, and that some areas of the Pitti had been closed from February 3.
The museum confirmed items had been moved to a bank vault but described the transfer as part of scheduled renovation and conservation work.
Reports that emergency doors had been bricked up and staff were gagged were also disputed.
The Uffizi said some closures were related to long-overdue fire-safety certification and measures to protect fragile, historic spaces dating to the 1500s.
The attackers were also said to have taken the museum's photographic archive.
The Uffizi said its photographic server had been taken offline to restore from backup and that no data was lost once the restoration was complete.
Officials added that security upgrades begun before the incident have been accelerated, including replacement of analogue CCTV with digital systems following police recommendations in 2024.
They stressed the situation was not comparable to last year's theft at the Louvre.
The Uffizi is Italy's second-most visited museum after the Vatican and generates roughly €60 million in annual revenue.
Despite the cyber incident and related scrutiny, it remains open to visitors while investigations continue.
