British Expats - Italy ... for what do I have to buy tickets beforehand?

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Italy ... for what do I have to buy tickets beforehand?

Hi,

Below is my prospective itinerary for a 13-day vacation to Italy
in the summer of 2008. I know it's a lot -- I may have to skip
some of it but at least they're all on the radar.

For what museums or other attractions is it absolutely necessary
to buy tickets in advance?

For what would I have to buy tickets even a year in advance?
My guess is that the Uffizi is the only one that might be necessary.
Am I right?

Also, if I buy a student Eurail pass for my daughter,
is it possible to buy a Eurail pass for myself as an adult
or is this not even worth it for a 2-week trip?

All suggestions greatly appreciated.

Day 1: arrival flight
Day 2: Rome / Colosseum, Arch of Constantine, Forum, Domus Aurea,
Baths of Caracalla, Circus Maximus, Aqua Claudia, Aqua Appia
La Bocca della Verita, Temple of Hercules, Temple of Portunus,
Teatro di Marcello, Campidoglio, Vittorio,
Trajan's Column
Day 3: Rome / St. Peter's, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums, Hadrianeum
Day 4: Rome / Vincoli, Holy of Holies, Lateran, Santa Croce in Gerusalemme,
Via Appia, catacombs
Day 5: Rome / Pantheon, Theatre of Pompey, Piazza Navona,
S. Luigi dei Francesi, Trevi, Spanish Steps, Ara Pacis,
Tomb of Augustus, Galleria Borghese, Maria Maggiore

Day 6: Pompeii day trip to Pompeii
Day 7: Assisi morning bus trip to Assisi, evening train to Florence

Day 8: Florence / Uffizi, Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, Vasari Corridor
Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens
Day 9: Florence / Duomo, Baptistery, Giotto's Bell Tower, Museo dell'Opera,
Medici Chapel of San Lorenzo, Orsanmichelle
Day 10: Florence / Accademia, History of Science Museum, train to Venice

Day 10: Venice / Doge's Palace, Bridge of Sighs, St. Mark's
Day 11: Venice / gondola ride, Scala del Bovolo, Rialto Bridge, Ca' d'Oro
evening train to Rome
Day 12: departure flight

Re: Italy ... for what do I have to buy tickets beforehand?

<[email protected]> wrote:
> Below is my prospective itinerary for a 13-day vacation to Italy
> in the summer of 2008. I know it's a lot...
> For what would I have to buy tickets even a year in advance?
> My guess is that the Uffizi is the only one that might be necessary.
> Am I right?

** Not a year in advance. At most, 2 - 3 months for Uffizi and
Accademia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Also, if I buy a student Eurail pass for my daughter,
> is it possible to buy a Eurail pass for myself as an adult
> or is this not even worth it for a 2-week trip?

** For what you are doing, point-to-point tickets would likely
be cost effective. Visit www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

Your itinerrary is ambitions, but doable. Some of your stuff
can be done as a drive-by. I'd drop Boboli Gardens - not
worth the time, and gondola rides are not worth the money.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> All suggestions greatly appreciated.
> Day 1: arrival flight
> Day 2: Rome / Colosseum, Arch of Constantine, Forum, Domus
> Aurea, Baths of Caracalla, Circus Maximus, Aqua Claudia,
> Aqua Appia La Bocca della Verita, Temple of Hercules, Temple
> of Portunus, Teatro di Marcello, Campidoglio, Vittorio, Trajan's
> Column
> Day 3: Rome / St. Peter's, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums,
> Hadrianeum
> Day 4: Rome / Vincoli, Holy of Holies, Lateran, Santa Croce in
> Gerusalemme, Via Appia, catacombs.
> Day 5: Rome / Pantheon, Theatre of Pompey, Piazza Navona,
> S. Luigi dei Francesi, Trevi, Spanish Steps, Ara Pacis, Tomb
> of Augustus, Galleria Borghese, Maria Maggiore
> Day 6: Pompeii day trip to Pompeii
> Day 7: Assisi - morning bus trip to Assisi, evening train to
> Florence
> Day 8: Florence / Uffizi, Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio,
> Vasari Corridor, Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens
> Day 9: Florence / Duomo, Baptistery, Giotto's Bell Tower,
> Museo dell'Opera, Medici Chapel of San Lorenzo,
> Orsanmichelle
> Day 10: Florence / Accademia, History of Science Museum,
> train to Venice.
> Day 10: Venice - Doge's Palace, Bridge of Sighs, St. Mark's
> Day 11: Venice - gondola ride, Scala del Bovolo, Rialto Bridge,
> Ca' d'Oro, evening train to Rome
> Day 12: departure flight

Re: Italy ... for what do I have to buy tickets beforehand?

On Jul 25, 8:53 am, "Rog'" <[email protected]> wrote:
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Below is my prospective itinerary for a 13-day vacation to Italy
> > in the summer of 2008. I know it's a lot...
> > For what would I have to buy tickets even a year in advance?
> > My guess is that the Uffizi is the only one that might be necessary.
> > Am I right?
>
> ** Not a year in advance. At most, 2 - 3 months for Uffizi and
> Accademia
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> > Also, if I buy a student Eurail pass for my daughter,
> > is it possible to buy a Eurail pass for myself as an adult
> > or is this not even worth it for a 2-week trip?
>
> ** For what you are doing, point-to-point tickets would likely
> be cost effective. Visitwww.trenitalia.com/en/index.html
>
> Your itinerrary is ambitions, but doable. Some of your stuff
> can be done as a drive-by. I'd drop Boboli Gardens - not
> worth the time, and gondola rides are not worth the money.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Spanish Steps isn't even worth the drive by. Total waste of time.

I liked the Boboli Gardens quite a bit, and the view of the
countryside from the porcelain museum is very impressive.

I'd also recommend the Gesu church which is very close to the
Pantheon.

Re: Italy ... for what do I have to buy tickets beforehand?

On Jul 25, 4:37 am, [email protected] wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Below is my prospective itinerary for a 13-day vacation to Italy
> in the summer of 2008. I know it's a lot -- I may have to skip
> some of it but at least they're all on the radar.
>
> For what museums or other attractions is it absolutely necessary
> to buy tickets in advance?

None, AFAIK. I've seen all of the major museums and sights across
Italy, never once bought tickets in advance, and rarely waited more
than a few minutes to enter anything.

> For what would I have to buy tickets even a year in advance?
> My guess is that the Uffizi is the only one that might be necessary.
> Am I right?

In the middle of summer, I waited on line for maybe 20 minutes at the
Uffizi. The trick is to go in the afternoon when the lines are much
shorter, since the tour groups mostly go in the morning.

> Also, if I buy a student Eurail pass for my daughter,
> is it possible to buy a Eurail pass for myself as an adult
> or is this not even worth it for a 2-week trip?

Trains are cheap in Italy, so a Eurail pass isn't worth it. Even the
youth pass isn't worth it - just pay for the trains as you take them.

> Day 1: arrival flight
> Day 2: Rome / Colosseum, Arch of Constantine, Forum, Domus Aurea,
> Baths of Caracalla, Circus Maximus, Aqua Claudia, Aqua Appia
> La Bocca della Verita, Temple of Hercules, Temple of Portunus,
> Teatro di Marcello, Campidoglio, Vittorio,
> Trajan's Column

I would recommend you do a walking tour of the Forum and Colosseum
with a good tour guide.

> Day 3: Rome / St. Peter's, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums, Hadrianeum

Leave plenty of time for the Vatican Museums, since there is a lot
more there than just the Sistine Chapel.

> Day 4: Rome / Vincoli, Holy of Holies, Lateran, Santa Croce in Gerusalemme,
> Via Appia, catacombs

Some other interesting churches are Santa Maria della Concezione
(human bones and skulls used as decorations), San Clemente (a 12th
century church built on the ruins of a 4th century church built on the
ruins of a Roman cult's temple, with some remnants of all three), and
Santi Pietro e Paulo (one of the only remaining examples of fascist
architecture).

> Day 5: Rome / Pantheon, Theatre of Pompey, Piazza Navona,
> S. Luigi dei Francesi, Trevi, Spanish Steps, Ara Pacis,
> Tomb of Augustus, Galleria Borghese, Maria Maggiore

I would just explore the city and soak up its atmosphere on that day,
and not be so focused on specific places.

> Day 6: Pompeii day trip to Pompeii
> Day 7: Assisi morning bus trip to Assisi, evening train to Florence

I would see Siena over Assisi.

> Day 8: Florence / Uffizi, Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, Vasari Corridor
> Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens

I would recommend that you devote several hours to the Uffizi, and
prioritize that over fitting in more other sights.

> Day 9: Florence / Duomo, Baptistery, Giotto's Bell Tower, Museo dell'Opera,
> Medici Chapel of San Lorenzo, Orsanmichelle
> Day 10: Florence / Accademia, History of Science Museum, train to Venice
>
> Day 10: Venice / Doge's Palace, Bridge of Sighs, St. Mark's
> Day 11: Venice / gondola ride, Scala del Bovolo, Rialto Bridge, Ca' d'Oro
> evening train to Rome
> Day 12: departure flight

The rest of that sounds fine. You might want to spend your second day
in Venice exploring the islands of Burano and Torcello.

Re: Italy ... for what do I have to buy tickets beforehand?

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi,
>
> Below is my prospective itinerary for a 13-day vacation to Italy
> in the summer of 2008. I know it's a lot -- I may have to skip
> some of it but at least they're all on the radar.
>
> For what museums or other attractions is it absolutely necessary
> to buy tickets in advance?
>
> For what would I have to buy tickets even a year in advance?
> My guess is that the Uffizi is the only one that might be necessary.
> Am I right?
>
> Also, if I buy a student Eurail pass for my daughter,
> is it possible to buy a Eurail pass for myself as an adult
> or is this not even worth it for a 2-week trip?
>
> All suggestions greatly appreciated.
>
>
> Day 1: arrival flight
> Day 2: Rome / Colosseum, Arch of Constantine, Forum, Domus Aurea,
> Baths of Caracalla, Circus Maximus, Aqua Claudia, Aqua
> Appia
> La Bocca della Verita, Temple of Hercules, Temple of
> Portunus,
> Teatro di Marcello, Campidoglio, Vittorio,
> Trajan's Column
> Day 3: Rome / St. Peter's, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums, Hadrianeum
> Day 4: Rome / Vincoli, Holy of Holies, Lateran, Santa Croce in
> Gerusalemme,
> Via Appia, catacombs
> Day 5: Rome / Pantheon, Theatre of Pompey, Piazza Navona,
> S. Luigi dei Francesi, Trevi, Spanish Steps, Ara Pacis,
> Tomb of Augustus, Galleria Borghese, Maria Maggiore
>
> Day 6: Pompeii day trip to Pompeii
> Day 7: Assisi morning bus trip to Assisi, evening train to Florence
>
> Day 8: Florence / Uffizi, Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, Vasari
> Corridor
> Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens
> Day 9: Florence / Duomo, Baptistery, Giotto's Bell Tower, Museo
> dell'Opera,
> Medici Chapel of San Lorenzo, Orsanmichelle
> Day 10: Florence / Accademia, History of Science Museum, train to Venice
>
> Day 10: Venice / Doge's Palace, Bridge of Sighs, St. Mark's
> Day 11: Venice / gondola ride, Scala del Bovolo, Rialto Bridge, Ca'
> d'Oro
> evening train to Rome
> Day 12: departure flight
>
>

Have you considered flying out of Venice? Open jaws tickets almost always
make sense on a European tour and don't cost much if any more.

Definitely reserve the Borghese and the Uffizi. The Accademia needs no
reservation if you time it right. (Lunchtime or end of day; it's not a big
museum.) You omitted the Bargello in Florence; I would see it ahead of the
Pitti Palace. Also omitted in Florence are the Piazzale Michelangelo and San
Miniato, both with great views over the city.

At certain points in Venice a gondola (traghetto) ferries people across the
Grand Canal. It's a very inexpensive alternative to a tourist gondola ride.

If your busy schedule or jet lag slow you down in Rome, consider a trip to
Ostia Antica instead of Pompeii.

Marianne

Re: Italy ... for what do I have to buy tickets beforehand?

On Wed, 25 Jul 2007 08:37:11 GMT, [email protected] wrote:

>Hi,
>
>Below is my prospective itinerary for a 13-day vacation to Italy
>in the summer of 2008. I know it's a lot -- I may have to skip
>some of it but at least they're all on the radar.
>
>For what museums or other attractions is it absolutely necessary
>to buy tickets in advance?

In Rome, the Galleria Borghese is by reservation only, but you don't
have to get the tickets very much in advance; a few days should be
sufficient.

>For what would I have to buy tickets even a year in advance?
>My guess is that the Uffizi is the only one that might be necessary.

I don't think any museum is so heavily booked that you would have to
get tickets more than a few weeks in advance. I had a
spur-of-the-moment chance to go to Rome for 2 days last summer, and I
wanted to see a very popular exhibit at the Gallery Borghese, on one
of the last days of the exhibit. My train arrived too late to go there
the first day, and the second day was on a weekend, when the Galleria
Borghese is even more heavily booked than usual. However, there was
still one time slot that had tickets for two people.

Of the museums you mention, I think the Galleria Borghese is the only
one that absolutely requires a reservation. The second floor of the
museum can only be occupied by a limited number of people at a time,
so there are time slots, and eveyone has to be out before the next
group enters.

>Also, if I buy a student Eurail pass for my daughter,
>is it possible to buy a Eurail pass for myself as an adult
>or is this not even worth it for a 2-week trip?

Trains in Italy are so cheap that no rail pass is worth buying. Even
the Italian rail passes are only likely to pay off if you make several
very long trips, like from Sicily to the Alps. Your itinerary is
mostly in central Italy, and I'm sure it will not cost enough to
justify a rail pass.

> Day 1: arrival flight

> Day 2: Rome / Colosseum, Arch of Constantine, Forum, Domus Aurea,

The Domus Aurea is closed indefinitely because there is a risk of
collapse of part of it. It may be open again in 2008, but I wouldn't
bet on it.

> Baths of Caracalla, Circus Maximus, Aqua Claudia, Aqua Appia
> La Bocca della Verita, Temple of Hercules, Temple of Portunus,
> Teatro di Marcello, Campidoglio, Vittorio,
> Trajan's Column

That's quite a lot for one day. I suggest skipping the acqueducts and
waiting until day 4.

> Day 3: Rome / St. Peter's, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums, Hadrianeum

While you're in the vicinity, go also to Castel Sant'Angelo. Have a
drink or a snack at the bar on one of the upper terraces, especially
near sunset , when there is a wonderful view over Rome.

> Day 4: Rome / Vincoli, Holy of Holies, Lateran, Santa Croce in Gerusalemme,
> Via Appia, catacombs

I suggest you take the Archeobus tour. It's a hop-on, hop-off bus that
goes down the ancient Via Appia and has stops for the catacombs and
several other very interesting stops, including a brief stop at the
so-called Park of the Acqueducts, which is really just an open space
with a really nice view of the acqueduct.

http://www.romeguide.it/trambus/archeobus.htm

This site is in Italian, but it has good pictures of the stops. I
wouldn't get off before the Catacomb of San Callisto, which is my
favorite anyway. The stops before that can be visited easily on foot
or by public transport, and the earlier stops would eat up a lot of
your available time. The archeobus is ideal to reach some spots that
are not otherwise easily reached. Each stop requires an hour, because
the buses pass once an hour. The Acqueduct stop is just a brief stop
as there's really nothing to do there except look at the acqueduct. If
you get off at the Cecilia Metella stop, you can walk forward to the
next stop. Part of the walk will be on the actual ancient road. It's
very nice to do this walk on a Sunday, when the road is closed to
traffic.

In order to see more than two or three things, you should catch one of
the earliest buses.

> Day 5: Rome / Pantheon, Theatre of Pompey, Piazza Navona,
> S. Luigi dei Francesi, Trevi, Spanish Steps, Ara Pacis,
> Tomb of Augustus, Galleria Borghese, Maria Maggiore

Again, this is an awful lot for one day. I would spend half the day in
the Villa Borghese, because other than the Galleria, it's a very nice
park to wander around, and on the southern edge, there is a marvelous
view over Rome, in the vicinity of Piazza del Populo.

> Day 6: Pompeii day trip to Pompeii

If you're tired, or if it's really hot, I would suggest going to Ostia
Antica instead. Pompeii is a wonderful site, but it's a long trip from
Rome, hot, crowded, and absolutely without shade. Ostia Antica is on
the outskirts of Rome, uncrowded, and has some shady walks. Pompeii
was destroyed in the 1st century, but Ostia Antica lived on into the
5th century, so it has remains from a longer arc of time. Also, it was
a working seaport, whereas Pompeii was more or less a bedroom
community of Naples, and more upper middle class.

http://www.ostia-antica.org/

I urge you not to fill your days with visits to a lot of must-see
sites. I don't know how many times I've been to Rome and I still
haven't seen all I want to see. You should leave lots of time for
sitting on park benches at the Villa Borghese, for stopping to look in
some of the little shops, for a walk along the Tiber.

Some of my favorite things that are missing from your list are:
Galleria Doria Pamphilj, a Renaissance palazzo with an excellent
audio-guided tour, the market at Campo dei Fiori (especially early in
the morning), the Capitoline Museums, and the church of Santa Maria in
Trastevere. (I also like the church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere.)

> Day 7: Assisi morning bus trip to Assisi, evening train to Florence

You won't see much of Assisi unless you get there very early. Why do
you want to take the bus instead of the train?

> Day 8: Florence / Uffizi, Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, Vasari Corridor
> Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens

I'm not sure I would visit the Uffizi and the Pitti Palace in the same
day, unless it's a rainly day and you're looking for indoor activity.

> Day 9: Florence / Duomo, Baptistery, Giotto's Bell Tower, Museo dell'Opera,
> Medici Chapel of San Lorenzo, Orsanmichelle

Climb the stairs to the lantern tower in the Duomo, but first buy
Brunelleschi's Dome and read it. The Museo dell'Opera del Duomo is an
often overlooked treasure.

> Day 10: Florence / Accademia, History of Science Museum, train to Venice
>
> Day 10: Venice / Doge's Palace, Bridge of Sighs, St. Mark's
> Day 11: Venice / gondola ride, Scala del Bovolo, Rialto Bridge, Ca' d'Oro
> evening train to Rome

Set aside half a day at least in Venice to get lost among some of the
less-frequented canals and streets.

> Day 12: departure flight

You're going to be pretty tired when you get home! Why don't you see
if you can fly out of Venice without spending too much more.
--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

Re: Italy ... for what do I have to buy tickets beforehand?

On Wed, 25 Jul 2007 13:11:46 -0000, Thornhill <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Is flying out of Rome really that much cheaper than Milan?

That would be better than Rome, timewise, but even better would be to
fly out of Venice or maybe Bologna. The only advantage I can see of
leaving from Rome is that maybe, if you return to the same hotel, they
would hold some of your luggage so you wouldn't have to carry it all
to Venice and back again for an overnight trip.
--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

Re: Italy ... for what do I have to buy tickets beforehand?

On Wed, 25 Jul 2007 07:36:03 -0700, Iceman <[email protected]>
wrote:

>I would recommend you do a walking tour of the Forum and Colosseum
>with a good tour guide.

This is a good idea, as information is rather lacking at the site. At
least bring along a very good and detailed guide book devoted wholly
to the Forum.

>Some other interesting churches are Santa Maria della Concezione
>(human bones and skulls used as decorations), San Clemente (a 12th
>century church built on the ruins of a 4th century church built on the
>ruins of a Roman cult's temple, with some remnants of all three), and
>Santi Pietro e Paulo (one of the only remaining examples of fascist
>architecture).

I really like San Clemente. The skull church is not terribly
interesting aside from the skulls. There is lots of fascist
architecture in Rome - the entire EUR area for instance.

>> Day 6: Pompeii day trip to Pompeii
>> Day 7: Assisi morning bus trip to Assisi, evening train to Florence
>
>
>I would see Siena over Assisi.

Both are worth seeing, for different reasons. Assisi, aside from the
Basilicas, which themselves are worth a long detour, has some very
nice views over the Umbrian countryside.

Siena is kind of hard to reach either from Rome or Florence, whereas
you can take a train from Rome to Assisi (about 2 hours) and another
train from Assisi to Florence (about 2 and a half hours).

--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

Re: Italy ... for what do I have to buy tickets beforehand?

On Wed, 25 Jul 2007 08:53:49 -0400, "Rog'"
<[email protected]> wrote:

><[email protected]> wrote:
>> Below is my prospective itinerary for a 13-day vacation to Italy
>> in the summer of 2008. I know it's a lot...

> Your itinerrary is ambitions, but doable. Some of your stuff
> can be done as a drive-by. I'd drop Boboli Gardens - not
> worth the time, and gondola rides are not worth the money.

I've never done a gondola ride, so I can't say what it's worth. A
cheap alternative is to take one of the gondola traghetti that cross
the Grand Canal in various spots. These are part of the public
transportation system and are short but very cheap trips; you may have
to stand up the whole way.

--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

Re: Italy ... for what do I have to buy tickets beforehand?

On Jul 25, 1:07 pm, B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:
> On Wed, 25 Jul 2007 13:11:46 -0000, Thornhill <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >Is flying out of Rome really that much cheaper than Milan?
>
> That would be better than Rome, timewise, but even better would be to
> fly out of Venice or maybe Bologna. The only advantage I can see of
> leaving from Rome is that maybe, if you return to the same hotel, they
> would hold some of your luggage so you wouldn't have to carry it all
> to Venice and back again for an overnight trip.
> --

Obviously flying out of Venice would be ideal, but I'm assuming that
the poster has planned Rome because of price, which is why I suggested
Milan.

Re: Italy ... for what do I have to buy tickets beforehand?

On Jul 25, 1:06 pm, B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:

>
> I don't think any museum is so heavily booked that you would have to
> get tickets more than a few weeks in advance. I had a
> spur-of-the-moment chance to go to Rome for 2 days last summer, and I
> wanted to see a very popular exhibit at the Gallery Borghese, on one
> of the last days of the exhibit. My train arrived too late to go there
> the first day, and the second day was on a weekend, when the Galleria
> Borghese is even more heavily booked than usual. However, there was
> still one time slot that had tickets for two people.

I don't see why you'd advice a first time traveler not to book tickets
in advance. We all have stories of being able to get into the most
popular museums instantly, but I've also observed extremely long lines
which I was able to entirely bypass thanks to having booked my tickets
in advance. Also, if it rains, the number of people going to the
museums spikes (I waited in line for 30 minutes at the Capitoline
Museum in Rome; coincidentally, it was a rainy day). From quickly
looking online, it looks like the fee for advance booking is only a
few euros (though when I went in 2005, I called some central Florence
museum ticket office and was able to get free reservations everywhere;
I paid when I picked up my tickets, so there was no extra fee for
advance booking). Considering that the poster has a tight schedule,
they should get tickets ahead of time to the popular museums so that
they don't have to cut something out of their itinerary if they
unexpectedly have to wait in line for an hour.

Re: Italy ... for what do I have to buy tickets beforehand?

On 25 Lug, 19:55, Thornhill <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Jul 25, 1:06 pm, B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
> > I don't think any museum is so heavily booked that you would have to
> > get tickets more than a few weeks in advance. I had a
> > spur-of-the-moment chance to go to Rome for 2 days last summer, and I
> > wanted to see a very popular exhibit at the Gallery Borghese, on one
> > of the last days of the exhibit. My train arrived too late to go there
> > the first day, and the second day was on a weekend, when the Galleria
> > Borghese is even more heavily booked than usual. However, there was
> > still one time slot that had tickets for two people.
>
> I don't see why you'd advice a first time traveler not to book tickets
> in advance. We all have stories of being able to get into the most
> popular museums instantly, but I've also observed extremely long lines
> which I was able to entirely bypass thanks to having booked my tickets
> in advance. Also, if it rains, the number of people going to the
> museums spikes (I waited in line for 30 minutes at the Capitoline
> Museum in Rome; coincidentally, it was a rainy day). From quickly
> looking online, it looks like the fee for advance booking is only a
> few euros (though when I went in 2005, I called some central Florence
> museum ticket office and was able to get free reservations everywhere;
> I paid when I picked up my tickets, so there was no extra fee for
> advance booking). Considering that the poster has a tight schedule,
> they should get tickets ahead of time to the popular museums so that
> they don't have to cut something out of their itinerary if they
> unexpectedly have to wait in line for an hour.

If I was you I would spend at least one day on the Amalfi coast, there
are a lot of little towns that are very beautiful
you can book you hotel here
http://b2b.hotelclub.net/SearchResults.asp?idY92
or here
http://www.consigliavacanze.it/indexen.asp
here some information on the amalfi coast
http://www.costadiamalfi.it/english/index.htm

Re: Italy ... for what do I have to buy tickets beforehand?

On Jul 25, 1:07 pm, B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:
> On Wed, 25 Jul 2007 07:36:03 -0700, Iceman <[email protected]>
> >Some other interesting churches are Santa Maria della Concezione
> >(human bones and skulls used as decorations), San Clemente (a 12th
> >century church built on the ruins of a 4th century church built on the
> >ruins of a Roman cult's temple, with some remnants of all three), and
> >Santi Pietro e Paulo (one of the only remaining examples of fascist
> >architecture).
>
> The skull church is not terribly interesting aside from the skulls.

I wouldn't go out of your way to see it, but it's close to the
Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps, so it's easy to fit in
when you're seeing other things.

> There is lots of fascist architecture in Rome - the entire EUR area for instance.

The EUR has a couple of fascist buildings (such as the infamous square
Colosseum), but it isn't the whole area:

http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/rome/areas/eur.html

Re: Italy ... for what do I have to buy tickets beforehand?

On Wed, 25 Jul 2007 17:55:30 -0000, Thornhill <[email protected]>
wrote:

>On Jul 25, 1:06 pm, B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>
>> I don't think any museum is so heavily booked that you would have to
>> get tickets more than a few weeks in advance.

[snip my story]

>I don't see why you'd advice a first time traveler not to book tickets
>in advance.

I didn't want to suggest she shouldn't get tickets in advance. She had
asked if some museums should be reserved a *year* in advance. I just
wanted to assure her that it wasn't necessary to do so.

We all have stories of being able to get into the most
>popular museums instantly, but I've also observed extremely long lines
>which I was able to entirely bypass thanks to having booked my tickets
>in advance. Also, if it rains, the number of people going to the
>museums spikes (I waited in line for 30 minutes at the Capitoline
>Museum in Rome; coincidentally, it was a rainy day). From quickly
>looking online, it looks like the fee for advance booking is only a
>few euros (though when I went in 2005, I called some central Florence
>museum ticket office and was able to get free reservations everywhere;
>I paid when I picked up my tickets, so there was no extra fee for
>advance booking). Considering that the poster has a tight schedule,
>they should get tickets ahead of time to the popular museums so that
>they don't have to cut something out of their itinerary if they
>unexpectedly have to wait in line for an hour.

--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup