WHAT’S NEW IN ITALY IN ’18
Get ready for bella chaos from Europe’s craziest richest culture
Italy bubbles with emotion, corruption, traffic jams, strikes, rallies, religious holidays and crowds. Irate ranters will be shaking their fists at each other one minute and walking arm-in-arm the next. It’s bella chaos, and if you’re well organized for sightseeing and up-to-date on your transit info, you’ll love it. Here’s the latest, gleaned from the research for the 2018 edition of my Italy guidebook, to help you enjoy Europe’s richest, craziest culture:
Rome, that magnificent, tangled urban forest, has been improving its tourist infrastructure and offerings. Two new sound-and-light shows in the Trajan’s Forum area are an increasingly popular evening activity: the Caesar’s Forum Stroll and the Forum of Augustus Show. Both shows help you imagine the world of the Caesars, as colourful images are projected on ancient walls, columns and porticos while English narration brings the story to life. And Ara Com’era (“The Ara as it was”), is a new 45-minute “virtual reality” show at Museo dell’Ara Pacis, which allows visitors to see what the Altar of Peace looked like in its day. The Pantheon, one of the city’s best-preserved ancient monuments that is currently free to enter, will start charging an entry fee (about $2) in May.
I recommend getting the Roma Pass, which is now a single plastic card that covers both sightseeing and transportation.
It’s now more worthwhile than ever to make the trip to Pompeii. The site’s best-preserved home, the House of the Vettii, with its many surviving mosaics and frescoes, has reopened after a long closure.
As the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence is a priority on any Italian itinerary. However, sightseers must deal, as always, with constant changes to the city’s sightseeing ticketing and entry schemes.
For instance, travellers who want to view the Uffizi Gallery’s amazing collection of Italian paintings will pay a significant price increase this year. Peakseason ticket prices (March through October), are up more than 50 per cent to about $25; tickets drop to $15 in the winter. Seasonal pricing is also being introduced at the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens. And for the first time, avid sightseers can buy a combination ticket covering all of these sights. This three-day ticket gives travellers one-time priority entry to all three sights, and will cost about $45 in peak season (half that in winter).
For the past couple of years, reservations have been required to climb the Florence Duomo’s famous dome. The sight is extremely popular, and time slots can book up many days in advance. If climbing the dome is a must for you, book online in advance of your arrival.
Visiting nearby Pisa is better organized and easier than ever with the opening of the new “Pisa Mover” train, which connects Pisa’s airport and its train station in five minutes. Pisa’s main tourist information office has moved to the Field of Miracles, next to the Duomo’s ticket office. Cruise ships are now stopping in the port of La Spezia for their excursions to Florence. And, as alighting in La Spezia puts them so close to the popular Cinque Terre region, thousands of cruisers are opting for excursions into this most spectacular stretch of the Italian Riviera. Consequently, the Cinque Terre is experiencing more congestion than ever. The hordes converge on its five tiny ports for the lovely hikes through the national park that connect them. While segments of the trails are closed because of frequent washouts and landslides, there are always plenty of open hiking trails in the nearby hills.
As the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence is a priority on any Italian itinerary. However, sightseers must deal, as always, with constant changes to the city’s sightseeing ticketing and entry schemes. Rick Steves