Villa Barbereni The Vatican Museums will reopen on June 1, two days before Italy opens its borders to European visitors after nearly three months of lockdown.
Entrance will only be possible via prior reservation to limit the number of people in the museum and stagger entrance times.
All visitors will be required to wear a mask, and mandatory temperature checks will be conducted at the entrance.
Group visits to the museums will be capped at a maximum of 10 people.
The Italian government announced that the country is to open its regional and international borders on Wednesday, allowing tourists from the European Union to visit without being subjected to a quarantine requirement.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that this will help Italy’s tourism industry to recover.
To accommodate visitors, the museums have extended their hours to encourage afternoon and evening visits.
Gardens
The museums, which have been closed since March 8, will be open Monday through Saturday from 10am each day.
On Friday and Saturday the museums and gardens will stay open until 10pm with an optional cocktail hour in the courtyard.
The Vatican Museums have also added an open-bus tour of the Vatican Gardens, while the museum and gardens at the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo are set to reopen on June 6.
“I would like this moment of difficulty to turn into an opportunity,” said Bishop Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, Vatican City State general secretary, in an interview with L’Osservatore Romano.
“[This] could become an ideal opportunity to seize the extraordinary opportunity to visit the summer residence of the Pope and the splendid Gardens of Villa Barberini.”