There is still little measurement of the experiential approach, in particular of the scheme proposed by
the Pine and Gimore (1999) of the four experiential dimensions: aesthetic, escapism, learning,
entertainment. The application in the museum context is even more scarse.
The purpose of the work is to understand how the scheme of Pine and Gilmore (1999) performs in an
Italian and in a Finnish art museum and if differences emerge between the two countries.
Results show that the scheme may be applied in the museum sector, even though our study showed a
3-factors structure rather than 4. Furthermore, the study found that the all three experience realms
(entesthetics, escapism and education) differed significantly among the two groups (Finland and Italy
museums’ visitors).
Although there has been theoretical ferment on the subject for many years now, empirical research is
still in its infancy. This study makes a contribution in testing the scales on museums of different
countries and in increasing the empirical research. The paper also indicates the limits of the study and
future research.