Italy marks Festa della Repubblica with free entry to state museums.
Italy’s state museums and archaeological sites will open their doors for free on Monday 2 June to mark the Festa della Repubblica, the culture ministry has confirmed.
The free museum day will be preceded on Sunday 1 June by the free opening of state-run museums and archaeological sites for Italy’s monthly Domenica al Museo initiative.
The special opening on 2 June was introduced two years ago along with two other symbolic dates: Festa della Liberazione on 25 April and National Unity and Armed Forces Day on 4 November.
The list of state-run sites participating in the initiative for the Festa della Repubblica, a national public holiday in Italy, can be consulted on the culture ministry website.
This year marks the 79th edition of the holiday which commemorates the day in 1946 when Italians voted in favour of a republic and against the monarchy which had been discredited during world war two.
The nationwide Domenica al Museo scheme, launched more than a decade ago, is held every first Sunday of the month in tandem with the monthly free entry for Rome’s municipal museums.
This Sunday almost all museums and archaeological sites in the capital will be open for free, however some Rome landmarks such as Galleria Borghese and the Pantheon require booking in advance.
The initiative on 1 June allows free access to all city-run museums in Rome including the Capitoline Museums, the Forma Urbis Museum and the archaeological site in Largo di Torre Argentina.
Image: Galleria Borghese, photo credit: Paolo Gallo / Shutterstock.com.
