RALEIGH, N.C. — The

North Carolina Museum of Art

in Raleigh was recently awarded highly sophisticated security equipment from Italy.

Visitors are greeted with a high-tech tube that regulates who goes in and who comes out. Instead of a person with a hand-clicker, a turnstile reads the ticket and allows the visitor to enter.

The new equipment is from Italy, which was eager to show it off in the United States. Italian officials invited museums and other institutions around America to compete for it. Three hundred museums applied for the security equipment and the North Carolina Museum of Art won the honor of getting $200,000 worth of security equipment for free.

"It was a great surprise to the museum and a real honor," said Hal McKinney, associate museum director for administration.

The North Carolina Museum of Art now becomes the showcase for this equipment. When Italy gets prospective buyers, Italian officials will send the clients to Raleigh to see the security in action. The Italian officials will be in Raleigh at the end of March to take a look.