The Italian Culture Ministry has imposed a 5-euro ticket to enter the two-millennium-old Pantheon, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Europe.
In March, Gennaro Sangiuliano, the culture minister, announced the implementation of a new ticketing system for the Pantheon, aiming to preserve the popular monument where the renowned painter Raphael is laid to rest. Sangiuliano considered charging a reasonable fee as a sensible objective.
However, the new system has already caused enough confusion among people. Tourists have reported receiving ambiguous instructions regarding ticket purchase methods and locations, leading to long queues under the scorching summer sun outside the Pantheon. According to reports, some visitors purchased a €10 audio tour on an official Pantheon website, only to realize later that it did not include the newly introduced entrance fee. The fee can be obtained either through a different Culture Ministry website or directly at the monument. Furthermore, certain foreign credit cards have been declined on the online booking platform.
Moreover, the implementation of the new ticketing system poses a risk of encountering a problem similar to the one faced by visitors to the Colosseum—a thriving ticket black market. Scalpers acquire discounted tickets in bulk and resell them at inflated prices, often bundling them with packaged tours. Alfonsina Russo, the director of the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum, reported filing a complaint about the ticketing scheme with the Italian police last year.
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The Culture Ministry plans to extend the Pantheon’s new ticketing platform to other state landmarks and museums in the coming months. Meanwhile, the minister assured in a statement that the government and monument authorities are diligently working to maintain affordable and accessible entrance tickets.
