Locals savour Monet's gardens without the crowds

A nymph is seen at the nympheas pond garden at the reopened Claude Monet house and foundation after restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were eased, in Giverny, France, June 9, 2020. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

GIVERNY, France (Reuters) - Claude Monet's gardens, the inspiration for his famous "Water Lilies" paintings, reopened to the public on Monday in Giverny, Normandy, as France emerges from three months of lockdown.

The Impressionist painter's lush gardens usually swarm with tourists, attracting more than half a million visitors a year and making them one of the most visited sites in the northern province of Normandy.