2008. Italian tourism shoots itself in the foot again? Just when you
thought it was safe to travel despite failing global economies,
soaring fuel and food prices, Italy continues to PLUNDER the tourist
instead of encouraging visitor's to return with well thought out strategies
and perhaps even pulling back on annual price increases. But no, Italy
is not at all a good custodian of its great history and art. As of April it is
no longer a free entrance to the Roman Forums so don't be caught out.
As of January 2007 visitors will be admitted at 8am and 9am,
but only if they are part of tour groups registered at Italian
chambers of commerce. People who prefer visiting the Vatican
Museums and the Sistine Chapel by themselves and seeing the
exhibitions at their own speed will not be allowed to enter before
10am anymore. This will be a setback especially during the winter
months when the Vatican Museums close at 1.45pm every day. The
privileged agencies will have to deposit €6,000 in order to be
allowed to handle the bookings. The bookings will have to be made
at least 30 days beforehand. (Foreign agencies will thus be excluded
and so will Rome's authorized guides.) The admission price will go up
from €12 to €13, with an extra €2 booking fee (so being part of a
Vatican Museum tour group will really cost you €15 as of Jan 2007).
Groups of up to 30 people who want a private visit (after closing time)
will be charged €2,500 (plus €15 per person) for a two hour visit, which
at the moment costs €1,800 plus €12 per person. For very large groups
(of more than 100 people) the price is augmented from €7,000 to €20,000.
Plus the individual tickets, that goes without saying. Work it all out if
you can & keep this in mind.
This is just to get inside these museums. Little if anything has been
said of the unbearable crowd's one has to endure, especially in the
summer months, once you are inside, making a visit to one of the
most important museums in the world an endurance test, a survival
of the fittest. Great art & history deserves so much better & so do
the visitor's to Rome. Anybody for a simple pre-booking solution as
is the case with the Borghese Gallery & the Uffizi in Florence? Nah,
that would be too logical a solution to a very serious problem . . . .
Here is the Vatican Museum link to help you decide which might be the
best time for you to visit:
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-Info/MV_Info_Orario.html
Buona vacanze e presto!
