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In the first week of March, all Italy's state museums are free

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In the first week of March, all Italy's state museums are free
The Galleria Borghese in Rome is just one of the museums that will open its doors for free. Photo: Christophe Simon/AFP

Fancy a few hours in the Uffizi gallery, a stroll round the Caserta palace or catching the view from the Colosseum? Next week you can visit them all for free.

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Scores of state-owned attractions across Italy will waive their entry fees from March 5-10th as part of an initiative to make the country's most precious heritage available for free on 20 days each year.

Culture Minister Alberto Bonisoli has declared next Tuesday to Sunday "Museum Week", meaning that locals and tourists alike have six days to visit some of Italy's most famous museums, galleries and archaeological sites without paying a cent.

READ ALSO: From taps to ancient erotica: Fifteen of the strangest museums in Italy


Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP

Some of the best-known attractions participating include the Boboli Gardens and Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, the ruins of Pompeii – as well as its treasures in Naples' Archeological Museum – the Galleria Borghese in Rome and all the various branches of the National Roman Museum spread across the capital. Find a full list here.

The initiative replaces Italy's "free museum Sundays", the scheme that saw museums open for free every first Sunday of the month. Under a new decree that takes effect this week, Italian state museums will instead offer six free Sundays between October and March, eight free days of their choice and six during Museum Week.

READ ALSO: Why you've never heard of Italy's best museum

Culture Minister Alberto Bonisoli says the new system should help reduce the long queues and oppressive crowds that typically gather at Italy's most popular attractions every first Sunday of the month. Sites might choose to offer free entry on a weekday afternoon instead of at the weekend, for instance, to help them manage visitor numbers.

In addition, people aged 18-25 will be able to visit state-owned attractions at any time they choose for the reduced price of just €2.

Bonisoli has said that he wants to add even more free days in future, hinting that there could be two Museum Weeks a year from 2020.

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