The Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel, are set to reopen Monday after being closed for 88 days due to coronavirus restrictions – the longest closure since World War II.

The world-famous collections will open their doors to the public from Monday to Saturday, but visitors must book tickets in advance and will be given timed entry slots.

Curators used the closure, sparked by Italian government measures introduced to stem the spread of COVID-19, to carry out maintenance and refurbishments.

That included careful dusting of 15th-century frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, which normally attracts 6 million visitors a year.

"The Pope's Museums await you with pleasure!" a statement said.

The news comes amid an easing of COVID-19 restrictions, with all but five Italian regions put in the low-risk "yellow" category from Monday.

That allows bars and restaurants to reopen during the day, alongside museums.

Rome's Colosseum and the Forum were also set to reopen on Monday, although they are to remain closed on weekends.

The Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia and regions of Umbria, Puglia and the autonomous province of South Tyrol are the only areas still subjected to tighter curbs in mid-risk "orange" zones.

The entire country remains subject to evening curfews and service at bars and restaurants must end by 6 p.m.

Italy was the first European country to face the full force of the pandemic early in 2020.

A nationwide lockdown, the collapse of its tourism industry and widespread closures since then have plunged the economy into a deep recession, while almost 88,000 people with the virus have died.