VI
EN
Crowded and bustling scenes at tourist attractions and museums have become commonplace in Italy. But that was before the pandemic hit the country. Now, for the first time in many years of tourism development, Italians have the opportunity to enjoy works of art in a tranquil atmosphere, unhindered by throngs of international tourists.
In 2019, the museums in the Vatican received an average of about 23,000 visitors per day.
And in 2021 – after being closed for 88 days since November 2019 due to the pandemic – the Vatican museums reopened to local visitors, taking advantage of empty galleries and the scarcity of tourists (Photo: Maria Laura Antonelli).
The first visitors to see the Raphael Rooms at the Vatican, home to the famous School of Athens (Photo: Maria Laura Antonelli)
Visitors on the reopening day of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence (Photo: Vincenzo Pinto)
The painting The Birth of Venus at the Uffizi Gallery, Florence (Photo: Vincenzo Pinto)
Attendees at the Luca Giordano art exhibition at the Capodimonte Museum, Naples (Photo: Antonio Balasco)
A visitor views Leonardo da Vinci's *The Last Supper* at the Santa Maria delle Grazie Monastery in Milan. *The Last Supper* attracted over 445,000 visitors in 2019. Now, small groups of 12 people take turns viewing the artwork every 15 minutes. (Photo: Miguel Medina)
Selfie at the Borghese Museum (Photo: Roma)
Tourists admire Michelangelo's Rondanini Pietà, on display at Castello Sforzesco, Milan (Photo: Mourad Balti Touati)
The Museum of Antiquities in Pompeii. This site attracted 4 million visitors in 2019 (Photo: Gregorio Borgia)
Lan Oanh
- Source: The Guardian
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
