https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Italy in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The Colosseum, the Vatican Museums and other famous attractions reopened this week after being closed for 88 days due to coronavirus restrictions - the longest closure since World War II. https://www.thelocal.it/20210202/no-tourist-pressure-romes-biggest-attractions-reopen-without-the-crowds Tue, 02 Feb 2021 16:15:58 +0100 no-tourist-pressure-romes-biggest-attractions-reopen-without-the-crowds The Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel, said they will reopen on Monday 1st February after being closed for 88 days due to coronavirus restrictions -- the longest closure since World War II. https://www.thelocal.it/20210130/vatican-museums-to-reopen-after-coronavirus-closure Sat, 30 Jan 2021 15:59:38 +0100 vatican-museums-to-reopen-after-coronavirus-closure The Italian government has put its popular free museum days on hold to avoid visitors packing in and raising the risk of coronavirus infections. https://www.thelocal.it/20200930/covid-19-italy-suspends-free-museum-sundays-to-limit-crowds Wed, 30 Sep 2020 15:12:14 +0200 covid-19-italy-suspends-free-museum-sundays-to-limit-crowds Italy's popular free museum Sundays scheme, which was scrapped under the previous government, is being reinstated starting this weekend. https://www.thelocal.it/20191004/italys-free-museum-sundays-are-making-a-comeback Fri, 04 Oct 2019 12:29:10 +0200 italys-free-museum-sundays-are-making-a-comeback Italy's museums are home to some of the world's best-loved cultural treasures, and there's no shortage of art or artefacts to admire. https://www.thelocal.it/20170609/weirdest-bizarre-quirky-museums-in-italy-travel-pompei-anatomical-torture Fri, 09 Jun 2017 10:49:49 +0200 weirdest-bizarre-quirky-museums-in-italy-travel-pompei-anatomical-torture Fancy a few hours in the Uffizi gallery, a stroll round the Caserta palace or catching the view from the Colosseum? Next week you can visit them all for free. https://www.thelocal.it/20190227/in-the-first-week-of-march-all-of-italy-state-museums-are-free Wed, 27 Feb 2019 17:23:44 +0100 in-the-first-week-of-march-all-of-italy-state-museums-are-free Good news for art lovers: the number of free entrance days at Italy's museums will increase next year from 12 to 20, and museums will introduce €2 tickets for 18-25 year olds. https://www.thelocal.it/20181114/italy-introduces-20-free-museum-days-per-year Wed, 14 Nov 2018 15:25:40 +0100 italy-introduces-20-free-museum-days-per-year Italy's new culture minister has announced that the country's free monthly entry to state museums will end after the summer. https://www.thelocal.it/20180801/italy-to-scrap-free-sunday-monthly-museum-entry-alberto-bonisoli Wed, 01 Aug 2018 14:06:11 +0200 italy-to-scrap-free-sunday-monthly-museum-entry-alberto-bonisoli A plan from Italy's Culture Ministry to revive its museums by hiring international experts has hit an embarrassing setback, after a court overturned some of the appointments made in a high-profile recruitment campaign. https://www.thelocal.it/20170526/italian-court-overturns-appointment-of-museum-directors-culture-dario-franceschini Fri, 26 May 2017 13:35:12 +0200 italian-court-overturns-appointment-of-museum-directors-culture-dario-franceschini To mark the European Heritage Days on September 24th and 25th, Italy is opening the doors to many of its usually-closed sites, and some of its most famous are opening on Saturday evening, with a special €1 entry rate. https://www.thelocal.it/20160923/italys-cultural-heritage-sites-offer-1-entry-for-one-day-only Fri, 23 Sep 2016 18:49:04 +0200 italys-cultural-heritage-sites-offer-1-entry-for-one-day-only Some 390 people have applied to head up nine of Italy’s museums and archaeological sites as part of a plan to revive Italy’s lesser-known cultural treasures. https://www.thelocal.it/20160809/hundreds-apply-for-nine-top-jobs-at-italys-cultural-sites Tue, 09 Aug 2016 12:39:51 +0200 hundreds-apply-for-nine-top-jobs-at-italys-cultural-sites Police in Terno, Campania, uncovered a spectacular hoard of over 200 stolen historical artefacts worth over €0.5 million on Wednesday, inside the lair of a local gang of art thieves. https://www.thelocal.it/20160722/italian-police-uncover-artefacts-art-thieves Fri, 22 Jul 2016 10:00:48 +0200 italian-police-uncover-artefacts-art-thieves Last year was the most successful ever for Italy's museums and cultural sites, according to new figures from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism. https://www.thelocal.it/20151125/italys-cultural-hotspots-enjoy-visitor-surge Wed, 25 Nov 2015 11:57:54 +0100 italys-cultural-hotspots-enjoy-visitor-surge The controversial shakeup of Italy’s top museums has divided art experts across the country, with the ex-director of Florence's Uffizi Gallery particularly bitter about losing his job to a German. https://www.thelocal.it/20150819/foreign-hires-rattle-italys-art-world Wed, 19 Aug 2015 13:23:41 +0200 foreign-hires-rattle-italys-art-world Italy on Tuesday announced the appointment of seven foreigners to head national museums as part of moves to revive some of the hallmarks of Italian culture. https://www.thelocal.it/20150819/seven-foreigners-hired-to-revive-italian-culture Wed, 19 Aug 2015 09:57:23 +0200 seven-foreigners-hired-to-revive-italian-culture Eighty foreigners are among the 1,222 applicants seeking to run 20 of Italy's top museums, including Florence's Uffizi Gallery and Rome's Borghese Gallery, in a recruitment drive aimed at shaking up the way the country's heritage is managed. https://www.thelocal.it/20150302/80-foreigners-vie-for-italian-museum-boss-jobs Mon, 02 Mar 2015 11:09:00 +0100 80-foreigners-vie-for-italian-museum-boss-jobs The head of the Vatican Museums, Antonio Paolucci, has been put under investigation for alleged abuse of office over contracts awarded while he ran Florence’s top museums, including the world-famous Uffizi Gallery. https://www.thelocal.it/20140923/vatican-museums-chief-in-art-deal-probe Tue, 23 Sep 2014 14:51:00 +0200 vatican-museums-chief-in-art-deal-probe Italy's museums may attract millions of visitors each year, but Francesca De Gottardo, who has started a campaign to get them up to speed with social media, warns they risk losing out on both visitors and crucial funding if they don't get online fast. https://www.thelocal.it/20131113/italys-museums-need-social-media-to-survive Wed, 13 Nov 2013 13:58:00 +0100 italys-museums-need-social-media-to-survive