The Royal Palace of Caserta, which served as interiors of the Theed Royal Palace for The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, was closed Tuesday, suprising hundreds of tourists who turned out for the All Saints Day holiday.
“The ministry did not authorise overtime payments because of a lack of funding. I’m very sorry that so many people were turned away but it is really not our fault,” a local official, Paola David, told La Repubblica newspaper.
It’s only the latest in a long line of funding issues plaguing Italy and embattled Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s government.
The palace doubled as the Vatican for the adaption of Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons (which co-starred Ewan MacGregor) and also appeared in Mission: Impossible III.