PHOTOS: Italy’s ancient city Pompeii reopens its ruins to public post-lockdown

Pompeii, the ancient Roman city buried in an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD and later unearthed, is ready to rise again from the catastrophe of the coronavirus pandemic. The sprawling archaeological site reopened to tourists on Tuesday after a closure of more than two-and-a-half months that froze the local economy much as the eruption nearly 2,000 years ago froze the city in time. “History has shown us that Pompeii is a resilient city par excellence,” said Massimo Osanna, head of the Pompeii archaeological park. “It has overcome catastrophes, earthquakes, eruptions, botched archaeological digs and illegal digs. It has shown that things can rise up from their ashes,” he said at the re-opening. Authorities have mapped out one-way itineraries to make sure visitors, who will have to wear masks, keep safe social distances and avoid gathering.

Updated on: May 27, 2020 12:13 PM IST

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A fresco is pictured at the archaeological site of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, as it reopens to the public with social distancing and hygiene rules, after months of closure due to an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Pompeii, Italy, May 26, 2020. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca (REUTERS)

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Italian tourists wearing protective face masks visit the archaeological site of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii as it reopens to the public with social distancing and hygiene rules, after months of closure due to an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Pompeii, Italy, May 26, 2020. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca (REUTERS)

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The archaeological site of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii is seen, as it reopens to the public with social distancing and hygiene rules, after months of closure due to an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Pompeii, Italy, May 26, 2020. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca (REUTERS)

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The archaeological site of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii is seen, as it reopens to the public with social distancing and hygiene rules, after months of closure due to an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Pompeii, Italy, May 26, 2020. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca (REUTERS)

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Italian tourists wearing protective face masks visit the archaeological site of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii as it reopens to the public with social distancing and hygiene rules, after months of closure due to an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Pompeii, Italy, May 26, 2020. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca (REUTERS)

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Updated on May 27, 2020 12:13 PM

Signs showing the imposed restrictions are pictured at the archaeological site of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, which reopens to the public with social distancing and hygiene rules, after months of closure due to an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Pompeii, Italy, May 26, 2020. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca (REUTERS)