Rome's Pantheon to Charge €2 Entry Fee from May 2018; Deputy Mayor Bergamo Reacts

Starting May 2018, entry to Rome's Pantheon will cost €2, ending free admission to one of the city's most visited monuments. The decision follows an agreement between the Italian state and the Vatican, facilitated by Antonio Lampis, the new director of museums at the Ministry of Culture. The fee is intended to generate revenue for maintenance, a common practice for major cultural sites in Italy. Deputy Mayor and Culture Councillor Luca Bergamo strongly criticized the move, calling it a 'very sad moment' and threatening to chain himself to the monument. He argued that Rome was not consulted and demanded greater powers for the city over state-owned cultural assets. The article, by Massimiliano Tonelli, accuses Bergamo of hypocrisy, noting his silence on issues like illegal vending in Piazza Navona and the controversial appointment of Giorgio De Finis as director of MACRO without a public competition. Tonelli also criticizes Bergamo for not making municipal museums free, as his predecessor Ignazio Marino did. The piece highlights ongoing tensions between Rome's municipal government and the state over cultural heritage management.