Massive success for Raphael blockbuster in Rome.

Rome's Raphael exhibition has sold out of tickets three weeks before the blockbuster comes to an end on 30 August, reports Italian news agency ANSA.

Titled Raffaello 1520 - 1483, the world's largest show ever dedicated to the High Renaissance master has been a massive success, despite the significant obstacles thrown in its path by the covid-19 pandemic.

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The record-breaking exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale is now no longer able to sell any more tickets due to the maximum limit of reservations, based on the capacity calculated to comply with the covid-19 safety measures.

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The museum has also registered huge interest in its late night openings which it will take to a whole new level in the final days of the exhibition when it opens to visitors 24 hours a day.

• Italy lays flowers at Raphael's tomb in the Pantheon

The show, held to mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Raphael, was closed by the nationwide coronavirus lockdown, just days after its inauguration in March, before reopening again in early June.