Some of Italy’s major attractions are re-emerging from the country’s three-month coronavirus lockdown and beginning to welcome visitors again.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopened on Saturday, with a flash mob held at the famous Italian site to commemorate those who lost their lives to COVID-19 and to attract visitors to the site.
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According to The Guardian, the Leaning Tower – which usually attracts five million visitors a year – is only permitting 15 people to enter it at a time.
Visitors will also be required to wear face masks and an electronic device that warns them if they are less than a metre of anyone else.
The president of the board of directors responsible for the tower and surrounding monuments, Pierfrancesco Pacini, told Italian news agency Ansa: “Our budget will suffer heavy losses but we wanted to send a signal of confidence and hope.”
It comes as Italy’s much-loved tourist attractions begin to welcome visitors again – differently – following the lifting of lockdown measures put in place to fight the spread of the coronavirus, which has claimed the lives of 33,415 Italians.
Ahead of the country easing restrictions on inter-regional travel on 3 June, all sites and museums are reopening with strict safety measures in place for local residents.
The Colosseum and Vatican Museums opened on Monday with tourists required to wear protective masks and have their temperatures taken before entering.
Furthermore, entrance times at the Colosseum have also been staggered to discourage crowding and tickets must be bought online, according to news agency DPA.
The agency also reported reduced-price tickets will be available for afternoon visitors in an effort to encourage Romans to visit the monument at the end of their working day.
Elsewhere in Rome, a huge exhibition marking the 500th anniversary of the death of Renaissance painter Raphael opened on Monday at Le Scuderie del Quirinale.
While in Florence, the Uffizi gallery is set to open from Tuesday.
On Monday, Italy confirmed 355 new cases of COVID-19.
