More tours.

I am thinking about some tours that might cover things I haven't seen (and therefore don't know what to visit in more detail). While looking for a place to get Vatican tickets (with an interface that works) I stumbled upon Viator. They seem to have a lot of tours - some of which aren't the run-of-the-mill expected stuff and many of them seem to get good ratings & reviews. One can even post your own photos of the tour post-trip.

Trastevere and the Jewish Ghetto Rome Walking Tour $42.21
Christian Rome Tour - Catacombs, Santa Maria Maggiore and Ancient Appian Way $67.23
Rome Hop On Hop Off Double Decker Bus Tour $28.14/24hrs $34.40/48hrs
Tivoli, Hadrian's Villa and Villa D'Este Tour from Rome $87.56

Seems like it's geared only toward men:
Gladiator Lesson $78.18

Not really my cup of tea, but it's an interesting theme for a tour:
Angels and Demons Tour from Rome $87.56

Florence Segway Tour $117.26
Original Florence Hidden Walking Tour $39.09
Sightseeing Tour to the Middle Age Town of Lucca $78.18

If I didn't have my own car, this seems like a great day trip from Florence:
Small Group Cinque Terre Day Tour from Florence

And this is convenient:
Rome (Fiumicino or Ciampino) Airport Private Arrival Transfer
Rome (Fiumicino or Ciampino) Airport Private Departure Transfer
Nevermind. The price is per person...with 8 traveling. I'll figure it out myself when I'm there like I did last time.


I would love to do photography tours in Rome or in Florence as a seasonal job. I think I take decent photos of these kinds of subjects and I know I'm a natural teacher. The only trouble I'd have is remembering all the names and dates for the historical parts of the tour.

Wasn't it some scandalous thing of the middle ages when people were paying for forgiveness/blessings/indulgences?
Papal Blessing at Castelgandolfo $67.23
Audience with Pope Benedict at Vatican City $54.72
Didn't Jesus whip out a whip on the people that were making cost (and therefore cost prohibitiveness) a part of worship?

A three hour tour...a three hour tour.

Though my vision for my trip was more free-form, I'm finding the need to make some reservations to be as efficient with my time as possible. Though I wanted to wake up and let each day be its own...with a more general plan of all the things I want to do as potential choices...I've read about 3 hour waits at the popular museums during summer months. Early May sometimes is listed in the busy time and sometimes not. Last time I was there it was November, and I walked right into the Uffizi and Accademia in Florence, and the Borghese and Vatican in Rome (though at the Vatican I was part of a tour and we only waited a short time outside while our guide squared away our arrangements). I don't want to risk spending 2-3 hours I could be shopping, photo'ing or drinking in the sites and sounds waiting in a line - especially to see many things I've already seen just because I want to see them again.

So I booked times for the museums through the Italy Museum site. I feel really blocked in as I had to pick times down to 15 minute intervals in some cases. That makes it feel more like work than wandering...keeping to an arbitrary schedule that had to be created here from home rather than one that's created by the desire to devote attention for a sufficient period of time to things based on how I'm feeling when I'm there.

One plus is that I have reserved a 3 hour guided tour through the Uffizi and the Vasari Corridor which is only available a couple days a week and a couple of times each day. I likely would have missed that opportunity had I not done this advance planning.



On the minus side...for the most important place to be able to book and avoid lines - the Vatican - the site seems to have a malfunction. It requires me to check the choice of museum, only there's no checkbox and the Vatican is the only choice. FRUSTRATING.

And now I just got an email (a day later) for the Uffizi/Vasari tour and they'll only confirm when 7 more people register. So I'm beholden to fate for that one as well.

Importing.

Reading up on what I can bring back with me from the Customs and Border Patrol website.

The whole brochure can be found at Know Before You Go.

I have an $800 limit for duty free. Looks like that full length leather coat I left behind in 2001 won't come back with me if I also want to bring home a wedge of Parmesan.