Italy is giving all women free entry to the country’s museums on Wednesday to mark International Women’s Day.

The Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage announced on Thursday that it wanted to “celebrate the feminine world” by highlighting works of art by and of women in their collections.

A number of special events, talks and exhibitions will take place at cultural heritage sites across the country throughout the day on 8 March. Some will focus on specific periods, authors, or regions, while others look more generally at the representation of women in art.

Leading up to International Women’s Day, the Instagram page for Italy’s museums is focusing on art depicting women, by sharing a different work with information about its female subject each day.

Encouraging people to use the hashtag #8marzoalmuseo — meaning “8 March at the museum” — the culture ministry’s website states: “The # 8marzoalmuseo campaign celebrates the feminine world with a gallery of images of women who have made history.

“A day of celebration from the Ministry of Heritage and Activities and Tourism will see free openings with a specific social communication campaign and a gallery of exceptional women, whose fame has crossed the centuries thanks to art and culture.”

It also encouraged visitors to embark on a “digital treasure hunt” through the country's museums, finding and photographing women featured in their paintings, sculptures and frescoes and to share them on social media under the promoted hashtag.