Castello di Rivoli, near Turin, will open its vast galleries as a Covid-19 vaccination center, becoming the first museum in Italy to do so. The institution is partnering with Rivoli city health authorities in support of Italy’s organized effort to vaccinate its citizens against the virus that to date has sickened 2.3 million and killed 80,000 in the country. 

Officials at Castello di Rivoli, which occupies the Savoy royal palace, came up with the idea of offering up their third-floor gallery for the vaccination process after realizing that the 10,000-plus-square foot space was ideal for the purpose, with plenty of room for a socially distanced waiting room, vaccine booths, and a comfortable post-vaccine monitoring area.