ROME, Italy — Tourists in Italy today were out of luck as workers at hundreds of museums, archaeological monuments, libraries and cultural sites went on strike.

But the Ministry of Culture hoped the massive labor action in protest of drastic budget cuts would do something to preserve those sites for generations to come.

“The meaning of this strike, which has very large participation, is to say to Italians, ‘Listen, people, wake up. This is our identity,’” said Ilaria Borletti Buitoni, president of the Italian Environmental Fund, a nonprofit group focused on protecting Italy’s heritage....