Italians Rediscover Their Museums, With No Tourists in Sight
THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Elisabetta Povoledo
ROME — There was no red carpet, but even so, a cadre of photographers snapped frenziedly as the objects of their attention — the first visitors to the Vatican Museums when they reopened on Monday after the coronavirus lockdown — squirmed in the unexpected spotlight.
With travel between Italian regions restricted until Tuesday, it was a local lineup, ready to experience what many Romans dream of: a tourist-free visit to one of the world’s greatest — and most popular — museums, which last year drew nearly seven million visitors. The museum’s coffers had suffered, she said, not only for lost ticket and trinket sales but also because the Vatican had refunded thousands of tickets booked for 2020. [More]
By Elisabetta Povoledo
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| Visitors at the Sistine Chapel on Monday, when the Vatican Museums reopened after a nearly three-month coronavirus closure.Credit...Alessandra Tarantino/Associated Press |
