Venice's curfew scrapped as restrictions ease
The lagoon city of Venice woke up to becoming a restriction-free zone on Monday (June 7).
That means a shift in rules imposed on the Italian tourism hot spot.
Only masks and social distancing are now required.
A curfew has been ditched, meaning people can stay out as late as they like for the first time since October.
That's good news for bars and restaurants which had been forced to close at 11pm.
Italy is gradually relaxing rules in various regions as deaths continue to decline and more people are vaccinated.
And its economy is showing signs of recovery too.
The International Monetary Fund last week delivered slightly improved growth forecasts for this year and next.
That as Italy gradually recovers from the health crisis with support from increased fiscal spending.
The country is also eligible for more than $242 billion in grants and cheap loans from the EU's Recovery Fund.
Making it the biggest beneficiary of the vast kitty set up to help the bloc's 27 countries recover from the pandemic.
