Italy's new culture minister Alberto Bonisoli is to abolish his ministry's monthly initiative granting free entry to state museums on the first Sunday of each month.

Bonisoli, of the Movimento 5 Stelle, said on 31 July that he will scrap the popular #Domenicalmuseo "after the summer." The minister promised to give museum directors the freedom to continue with the free Sundays initiative but added that "it's no good" when the openings are obligatory.

His predecessor Dario Franceschini, of the centre-left Partito Democratico (PD), called on Bonisoli to change his mind, saying: "Don't make the world of culture and the Italian public pay for the political desire for a break with the past".

#Domenicalmuseo has attracted 12 million visitors to Italy's museums since it was launched by Franceschini in 2014, registering 3.5 million visitors in 2017 alone.