Photos: Italy’s Colosseum and Vatican Museum welcome visitors again

By HT Correspondent

Updated On Jun 03, 2020 10:25 am IST

Rome's famed Colosseum and Vatican Museum, along with some other tourist sites, were reopened on June 1 with some access restrictions for visitors. On June 3, visitors from within the European Union will also allowed to travel for the first time to Italy, but borders remain closed to tourists from further afield.

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A couple take a picture in front of the Colosseum, which reopened to the public on June 1 after an extended closure in Rome. The Colosseum welcomed visitors after a three-month coronavirus lockdown but only a few hundred people were expected at Italy’s top tourism site. (Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

Updated on Jun 03, 2020 10:25 am IST

A couple take a picture in front of the Colosseum, which reopened to the public on June 1 after an extended closure in Rome. The Colosseum welcomed visitors after a three-month coronavirus lockdown but only a few hundred people were expected at Italy’s top tourism site. (Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

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Visitors walk across the Colosseum monument. Officials told AFP that they had expected only 300 people -- a far cry from the thousands of tourists taking selfies who jam-pack the ancient stadium on a normal basis. (Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

Updated on Jun 03, 2020 10:25 am IST

Visitors walk across the Colosseum monument. Officials told AFP that they had expected only 300 people -- a far cry from the thousands of tourists taking selfies who jam-pack the ancient stadium on a normal basis. (Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

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A view down a corridor of the Colosseum as it reopens to the public. On June 3, visitors from within the European Union will be allowed to travel for the first time to Italy, but borders remain closed to tourists from further afield. (Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

Updated on Jun 03, 2020 10:25 am IST

A view down a corridor of the Colosseum as it reopens to the public. On June 3, visitors from within the European Union will be allowed to travel for the first time to Italy, but borders remain closed to tourists from further afield. (Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

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Jets from the Italian Air Force acrobatic unit Frecce Tricolori fly over the Colosseum on the eve of Italy's 74th Republic Day on June 1. The Colosseum’s director, Alfonsina Russo, told AFP it had been “surreal” seeing the landmark empty during quarantine. “It’s a symbol of Rome and of Italy but the sense of emptiness highlighted the great beauty of this place and it’s fragility,” Russo said. (Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

Updated on Jun 03, 2020 10:25 am IST

Jets from the Italian Air Force acrobatic unit Frecce Tricolori fly over the Colosseum on the eve of Italy's 74th Republic Day on June 1. The Colosseum’s director, Alfonsina Russo, told AFP it had been “surreal” seeing the landmark empty during quarantine. “It’s a symbol of Rome and of Italy but the sense of emptiness highlighted the great beauty of this place and it’s fragility,” Russo said. (Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

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People wearing protective face masks queue to enter the Vatican Museum on June 1. Some 1,600 people had reserved tickets in advance to see the Sistine Chapel on the first day the Vatican Museum re-opened doors to the public after a three-month coronavirus shutdown. (Guglielmo Mangiapane / Reuters )

Updated on Jun 03, 2020 10:25 am IST

People wearing protective face masks queue to enter the Vatican Museum on June 1. Some 1,600 people had reserved tickets in advance to see the Sistine Chapel on the first day the Vatican Museum re-opened doors to the public after a three-month coronavirus shutdown. (Guglielmo Mangiapane / Reuters )

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Visitors seen at the Gallery of Maps as the Vatican Museum reopened on June 1. Italy’s tourism sector is vital for the economy, accounting for about 13% of revenue. (Alessandra Tarantino / AP)

Updated on Jun 03, 2020 10:25 am IST

Visitors seen at the Gallery of Maps as the Vatican Museum reopened on June 1. Italy’s tourism sector is vital for the economy, accounting for about 13% of revenue. (Alessandra Tarantino / AP)

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Museum employees wearing masks walk down a staircase inside the Vatican Museum, designed by Giuseppe Momo in 1932. (Alessandra Tarantino / AP)

Updated on Jun 03, 2020 10:25 am IST

Museum employees wearing masks walk down a staircase inside the Vatican Museum, designed by Giuseppe Momo in 1932. (Alessandra Tarantino / AP)

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Visitors admire "The School of Athens" fresco by Italian Renaissance artist Raphael inside the Vatican Museum. Museum director Barbara Jatta said that museum staff used the weeks of closure to ensure the safety of visitors as well as the art. “We want to share this patrimony but we want to share in safety,” she told AP. (Alessandra Tarantino / AP)

Updated on Jun 03, 2020 10:25 am IST

Visitors admire "The School of Athens" fresco by Italian Renaissance artist Raphael inside the Vatican Museum. Museum director Barbara Jatta said that museum staff used the weeks of closure to ensure the safety of visitors as well as the art. “We want to share this patrimony but we want to share in safety,” she told AP. (Alessandra Tarantino / AP)

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