(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 09.26.2023).- With an eye to the grand event of the 2025 Jubilee and in order to guarantee the best usability of the pontifical collections, emphasizing broader inclusion and high experiential quality, the Directorate of the Museums and Cultural Heritage is preparing to introduce significant changes to the current public admission policies, overcoming some critical issues that have emerged over the last few years following the full recovery of tourism after the pandemic.
The new measures will go into effect on 1 January 2024.
With the objective of dividing attendance over a longer period of time in order to improve the quality and safety of visits, the daily opening hours will be extended: Museums are accessible to all from 08.00 a.m. to 07.p.m., with last entry at 05.00 p.m.
During the high tourist season, beginning from the month of March, there will be further extended opening hours on Fridays and Saturdays as well as on other specified days, until 08:00 p.m., with last entry at 06.00 p.m.
Following the same logic, a quota on the size of groups will be introduced: each accredited tour guide can have a maximum of 20 visitors.
A new ticketing system, guided by the principles of transparency and effectiveness, will guarantee solutions to all those who wish to admire the Pope’s Museums. The aim is to be able to ensure the purchase of entry tickets for both individual visitors, pilgrims, families, schools, as well as sector operators, so that everyone’s specific needs are met.
Specific attention will be paid to combating the secondary ticketing phenomenon and the automated process of purchasing tickets (BOT), with appropriate IT measures and through the introduction of the nominative ticket, accompanied by thorough checks of the holder’s identity.
Finally, a major project is being launched that will guarantee the gradual expansion of air conditioning throughout the exhibition rooms to protect the health and well-being of visitors.
The innovations introduced are part of a broader and more comprehensive reorganization of the management and reception policies of the Vatican Museums called, by identity and mission, to effectively combine the needs of protection and conservation of works of art with those of accessibility by the general public.
