Reopening of museums in Italy in regions least exposed to coronavirus

After 77 days of closure due to a pandemic, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, famous for its masterpieces by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, reopened its doors Thursday morning with great fanfare.

The institution is one of the lucky ones who, since Thursday, can once again welcome the public in the six regions least exposed to the coronavirus.

To read also: Michelangelo - Raphael: the match of the century

In the presence of the mayor of Florence Dario Nardella, the two heavy carved wooden doors creaked on their hinges.

Behind the cords where tourists usually crowd, the first visitors, a little lost, quietly await their sesame.

Inside the museum, William, a 28-year-old Irish artist who lives in Florence, does not hide his joy at the breathtaking view of the Ponte Vecchio spanning the Arno: “

It's a relief from the stress of to have spent two months locked up in my house

”.

In almost deserted rooms, "

we just need to add armchairs so that we can enjoy them even more,

" he jokes, laughing.

"

For me it's good, but for the culture and the Italians, no!

Florence needs to see tourists coming back from America and the rest of Europe.

To see the crowd in museums again means that society is functioning again,

”said the slender young man.

A little further on, Michele Diana and Anna Ghelardini, two Florentines bundled up in their twenties, salute “

the security measures, fair and appropriate, ultimately the same that are found everywhere: temperature control, disinfectant gel. ..

"

Read also: Italian museums in search of opening

"

I had never been here

", confesses Michele, who let herself be carried away by her friend Anna, who wanted to see the

Tondo Doni again

, a sumptuous painting by Michelangelo representing the Holy Family: "

the most beautiful of all

" , she exclaims.

The director of the Uffizi, the German Eike Schmidt, is visibly relieved: "

It is really time to reopen, to show these remarkable works of art which belong to all of humanity

", he confides during of an interview with AFP.

Because of the Covid, the Uffizi, a setting with elegant arches placed close to the Ponte Vecchio, had to face "

the longest closure since World War II

", he recalls, adjusting his red mask.

"A small step"

And while "

we continue our programming online on our site and on social media

,

the opportunity to see these works in person is simply unique, so we encourage all who can to come

."

“

Right now, you have to be in Tuscany, because the borders between the Italian regions are still closed,

” he explains.

In fact, for this first day of opening, the handful of visitors present are assailed with questions by the swarm of journalists who came to cover the event.

"

That's enough, let us admire these works in peace

", launches an Italian visitor in ecstasy in front of

Le Printemps

by Botticelli.

The Covid, which has killed more than 83,000 people in Italy, remains in everyone's mind: “

visitors must wear a mask, like me!

And respect social distancing,

”Mr. Schmidt hastens to recall.

The reopening started on Thursday will also be gradual.

"

At the moment, we are only open from Tuesday to Friday but we hope that very soon the contagion curve will go down and that we can reopen to visitors from all over Europe, as well as on weekends

", wants to hope Eike Schmidt .

Due to the pandemic, "

we had a lot less visitors last year (...) Our finances were also affected, but we received funds from the government to compensate for the months of closure

".

According to a source inside the museum, the loss in revenue amounts to around four million euros per month of closure.

“

The reopening of museums is thought before for the locals in order to give them the possibility of safely enjoying their cultural heritage.

It's a small step, a sign of reopening,

”Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini explained earlier this week.

Besides the Uffizi in Florence, other iconic cultural places have reopened to the public, such as the archaeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum near Naples.

Read also: In Pompeii, amazing discovery of two victims who were trying to flee the eruption of Vesuvius

The list of institutions open to the public is available on the dedicated page of the website of the Ministry of Cultural Property and Activities and Tourism.