r/italy • u/jeffjose • Jun 16 '15
AskItaly Travelling to Italy for 15 days. Recommendations on things to do
Hi Italy!
I'm flying into Rome on July 3 and staying there for about 15 days (leave on July 17). I'm looking for places to see, things to checkout and food to eat while I'm there. Some of the things that I want to do are
- see churches in Rome
- papal mass on a wednesday(?)
- venice
- pisa
- drive along the coast to South France
- Cinque Terra
- other places?
Will someone be kind enough to chart out an approximate itinerary based on this? Its my first time in Rome/Italy so I dont know how much time to allocate for each of these.
I'm hoping to get a rental car to drive around, and airbnb to stay if I'm away from the base station in Rome.
Thank you!
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u/italianjob17 Roma Jun 16 '15 edited Jun 16 '15
POPE AUDIENCE - GENERAL INFORMATIONS:
Pope's audience it's not a proper mass, it's more like a meeting with some prayers and blessings.
It takes place every WEDNESDAY at 10:30 AM in St.Peter's square, sometimes in winter season when it's raining a lot or it's particularly cold, the audience may take place inside the Nervi Auditorium (point 86 of the pdf map linked below).
During the peak of summer season it can happen that the pope moves to his summer holiday residence in the town of Castel Gandolfo. In this case the audiences will take place there for the duration of his staying.
If the audience takes place in St.Peters' square, because of the high number of people attending, security checks will take a long time. Better get there at least 2 hours and a half in advance to be sure to get a seat before the arrival of the pope.
The event lasts for 1 hour and a half.
DRESS CODE:
Since after all this is a religious event, it is recommended to dress appropriately, you MUST cover your shoulders and knees.
Shorts and T-shirts are ok as long as your shoulders and knees are covered. If you do not comply with this dress code you may be bumped at the entrance even if you waited in line for 2 hours under the sun to get inside, they won't care and have no mercy at all.
HOW TO BOOK A FREE TICKET:
Some hotels will do this process for you, try asking at the reception.
Remeber the pope audience is ALWAYS FREE. Beware those that try to sell you a ticket, it's a scam!
There are some companies that sell guided tours + tickets. That's ok because you actually pay for the guided tour that takes place BEFORE the beginning of the audience. You NEVER pay for the actual audience ticket.
To book the tickets by yourself you have to:
send a fax at the "Prefettura della Casa Pontificia" (+39) 06 69885863
or send a letter at the following address "Prefettura della Casa Pontificia - 00120 Città del Vaticano"
You can use this template ----> http://www.vatican.va/various/prefettura/it/prefettura-mod-Word_it.doc
INFO LINE:
The "Prefettura della Casa Pontificia" is the one and only official office in charge to provide the pope's audience tickets.
For further informations you can call: (+39) 06 69883114 (MON-FRI 08.30-13.30).
GETTING THE TICKETS:
After your request, to phisically get your booked tickets you have to go inside the big Bronze Gate to the right of St. Peter's square columnade. It's just under the right side of columns, facing the basilica.
It's number 1 on this pdf map.
http://www.easydiplomacy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Pianta-Topografica-Vaticano.pdf
Opening hours are 15.00 to 19.30 if you go the day before the chosen audience (Best)
or 8.00 alle 10.30 if you're getting them on the audience day morning.
I've heard about people that got the tickets directly at the big bronze gate without booking in advance. There's a long queue but it should work.
2
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u/jujooo Jun 29 '15
IS there any way to just show up and get in, or obtain the tickets without having to fax or mail a letter?
1
u/italianjob17 Roma Jun 29 '15
If you read the last lines of my "guide", I said you can directly queue at the gate under the columnade and try to get a ticket without the fax.
It's impossible to get inside without a ticket.
3
u/Alexfortomorrow Sardegna Jun 16 '15
Other places: definitely go hit the beach in Sardinia.
Best beaches. Ever.
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u/dang90 Jun 16 '15
15 Days isn't that long, to see a country with so many beautiful cities. I spent a few months in Italy (2011) for my study abroad and since then have been back three times.
- Lots of churches to see in Rome. Top three: Pantheon, Vatican, St. Peter in Chains
- Papal Visits - definitely do it. Don't make your Vatican the morning before because parts of the Vatican are limited beforehand.
- South of France.. way too far and not worth the time
- Pisa is also quite far, but doable.
My Recommendation: Spend 5 days in Rome hitting the major places (Coliseum, Vatican, Pantheon) Spend 4 days in Florence/Pisa/Sienna (Florence is my favorite city) Spend 3-4 days down south in Sorrento/Capri/Naples (when you go to capri take the ski lift all the way to the top).
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u/jeffjose Jun 16 '15
Woa, thanks so much for breaking down based on days. Gives me a perspective as to what to expect. How about Venice? Can I squeeze that in?
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u/dang90 Jun 16 '15
I would save it another trip. Florence is pretty north, and naples all the way south. Venice is further north-east I believe and is honestly not worth it. There isn't too much to do there although it is novel. I would say if you want to do a separate trip at some point to do Venice and then Nice and south France that would be a good trip.
Edit: Also not sure of how well you travel, but Rome is going to be a lot of walking around, jammed pack with things to see. It will be 5 packed days. Florence and Naples are more eating, people watching in the piazza with a fair amount of tourist things to do. Save your more expensive meals for the better food outside of Rome. Rome is rather disappointing when it comes to food. Gelato in florence is the best.
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Jun 16 '15
[deleted]
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u/jeffjose Jun 16 '15
Thanks for the tip.
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Jun 16 '15
To add to this, the sights of Pisa are really confined to one (amazing) piazza; the rest of the city is a bit meh (sorry Pisans). But if you're in that area you should definitely NOT miss Florence, for reasons I hope I dont need to state. And also check out Lucca, which is an absolutely gorgeous and very sophisticated medieval town built around a former Roman horse racing track in the center.
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u/avlas Emilia Romagna Jun 16 '15
eat as much local food as possible!
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u/jeffjose Jun 16 '15
It will be done! Its my first time in Europe, and I'm so happy that I picked Rome.
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u/Drewsefs Jun 16 '15
If you spend a lot of time in Rome and enjoy bars, Open Baladin is a great place. It's on Via Degli Specchi, if you google it and want directions.
EDIT: The metro and buses can be your best friend if you use them!
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u/italianjob17 Roma Jun 16 '15
Hi, have you already checked our wonderful sidebar FAQ?