The major cathedral of Florence in Italy, the Duomo, has been equipped with metal detectors in each of its four entrance doors. This measure is part of a security plan of the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, the building that takes care of the Cathedral, the Baptistery, Giotto’s Bell Tower, and its museum.
The program, which in the last few weeks has provided for an initial trial period with handheld metal detectors in the hands of access workers of the monuments, foresees that within the year 2018, there will be 7 metal detectors in operation in addition to those of the Duomo that will be activated at the Baptistery, Bell Tower, and Opera Museum. According to the Opera itself, this “will make security checks more effective and reduce waiting times.”
The devices used are of the latest generation and are the same type as those used in international airports all over the world for the control of people in transit. They are able to identify personal items, reducing the number of unwanted alarms.
Since last December, the Opera has strengthened the staff in charge of checks in service at the entrance to the monuments, and a baggage storage facility is underway that will allow visitors to leave suitcases, backpacks, and large bags, for which control considerably slows down access to monuments visited annually by about 1.4 million people from all over the globe.