Anyone who has always dreamed of visiting the Colosseum while the sky turns a shade of blue, or of lifting their gaze to the oculus of the Pantheon with the first stars overhead, can finally do so starting in August. A trial promoted by the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Tourism and the City of Milan indeed extends the opening hours of three of Italy’s most visited monuments, pushing them up to four hours beyond the usual schedule.
The initiative begins Saturday, August 1 and will last for the entire month, involving Rome for state sites and Milano for civic museums. Behind the choice is the aim to distribute tourist flows more evenly, allowing access during the cooler hours of the day and in time slots compatible with those who work.
Not merely an experiment in hours, in other words, but an attempt to rethink how culture is experienced in the heat of summer, when long lines under the sun often become the most vivid memory of a visit. Here is what changes, monument by monument.
Colosseum, Rome
The Colosseum, the symbol of Rome par excellence, opens its doors in the evening on weekends: Friday and Saturday one can enter from 19:45 to 23:30. A schedule crafted to suit those who want to avoid the heat of the central hours and discover the Flavian amphitheatre in a completely different light, when the shadows lengthen across the arches and the atmosphere becomes more intimate.
To organize the visit, the advice is to book the ticket in advance through the official channels of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, checking the updated hours for August, since the experiment concerns only the days indicated. Those who arrive in this time frame can also enjoy the way to the arena and the higher levels at a leisurely pace, typically more crowded during the day.
Pantheon, Rome
Even the Pantheon, one of the best-preserved monuments of antiquity, opens to nighttime visits: from 19:00 to 23:00, every day except Thursday. Stepping inside the basilica when it is already dark offers a different perspective on the oculus, the circular opening in the dome through which a beam of light filters by day: in the evening, aided by the interior illumination, the atmosphere becomes more intimate and quiet.
It is also a good moment to observe the illustrious tombs housed inside, including that of Raphael, without the typical bustle of the mid-day hours.
Castello Sforzesco, Milano
Finally, in Milan the initiative involves Castello Sforzesco, which will remain open every day until 19:30, two hours longer than usual, with extended hours from 17:30. The Visconti-Sforza fortress, which in the last year has surpassed half a million entries in its museums, allows in this window to visit some of its most precious collections, starting with the Rondanini Pieta, Michelangelo’s last unfinished sculpture housed inside the castle.
In the same period, the exhibition “Passione e Disegno” is also accessible, set up in the Salette della Grafica, which brings together works by authors far apart in time, from Leonardo da Vinci to the American artist Keith Haring.
