Italy slowly emerges from lockdown imposed before Christmas

A visitor walks down a staircase, designed by architect Giuseppe Momo in 1932, as she leaves the Vatican Museums (Andrew Medichini/AP)

Much of Italy gingerly reopened on Monday from pre-Christmas coronavirus closures, with the Vatican Museums welcoming a trickle of visitors to the Sistine Chapel and locals ordering their cappuccinos at outdoor tables for the first time in weeks.

While many European countries remain in hard lockdowns amid surging Covid-19 infections and variants, five more Italian regions graduated to the coveted “yellow” category of risk starting on Monday.