Critics of the plan called for a program that would charge only foreign visitors and keep museums free for Italian citizens.
Around 480 museums – including the Colosseum in Rome, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, and the Pompeii Archaeological Park in Naples – currently offer free admission on the first Sunday of each month through the “Domenica al Museo” (“Sunday at the Museum”) program. This measure was instituted in June 2014 by then-Minister Dario Franceschini of the Democratic Party (PD) as a way to encourage the public to explore Italian cultural and archaeological heritage.
At a press conference, the Minister of Culture, Alberto Bonisoli, from the 5 Star Movement (M5S), said that the government will end the free program on Sundays, in an attempt to avoid “devaluing the places”.
Alberto Bonisoli said that the government will end the free program on Sundays. (Photo: Corriere della Sera)
“If they continue like this, free Sundays will go in a direction that nobody likes. We won't change anything in the summer, but then things will change. I will give directors greater freedom, if they want to put on a free Sunday, that's fine, but the obligation doesn't work”, she explained.
Some critics of the plan have called for a program that would charge only foreign visitors and keep museums free for Italian citizens.
In a Facebook video responding to criticism, Bonisoli said that free entry to museums “could happen, but in a smart way”. Museum directors would have the freedom to designate their own free days, in response to seasonal fluctuations in visits. The minister did not provide any additional information about when these changes could be implemented.
Regular entry to Italian attractions is not cheap: entry to the Colosseum costs €12 and a ticket to the Vatican costs around €17.
FOLLOW ITALIANISM
