We are planning to be in Italy several weeks in mid April, early May 2018, with 3 nights, 4 days in Rome to kick off our travels. We have visited Rome before and have done most of the major sites. This trip we are planning an audience with the Pope, Borghese Gardens and Appian Way. Would it be possible to have audience with the Pope in the morning and still have plenty of time to visit Appian Way in the afternoon? Thank you so much! Karen Sortino
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23660 posts
I have no idea about the audience with the Pope but the Appian Way is best visited on a Sunday when the traffic is restricted.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Karen, if you have 3 nights, you only have two full days and two partial days, at best. But your plan sounds fine. It might be more convenient to combine the Papal Audience with the Borghese (are you visiting the Galleria, or only walking through the park?) with a late afternoon appointment, and visiting the via Appia Antica the next day.
Posted by
Vancouver, BC, Canada
1385 posts
Yes! See: http://www.papalaudience.org/
Print out the request form and fax to the Vatican office. They will send you a nice letter typed on an old fashioned typewriter, which is a cool keepsake, with authorization and instructions for you to pick up tickets from the Swiss Guards.
Posted by
OP
65 posts
Thank you so much all! Very helpful information. So with that, seems like if we keep the same dates, we will go to St. Peter's and Borghese on Wednesday and Appian Way Thursday. We may decide to adjust our plans for Sunday. Love the response regarding writing! Be very special in these days to receive a letter! Mille Grazie Tutti!
Posted by
Los Angeles
305 posts
Note that if you get the tickets through Santa Susanna you also need to pick them up the day before. It is small window of time in the late afternoon as I remember. But the nice thing is it is quite close to Trevi fountain so you can kill two birds with one stone.
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
4344 posts
We attended the Papal audience this past February. The tickets say 10:00 but people informed us he always appears early, around 11:30. He came out at 9:35. It was over by 11:00. If you have an afternoon time for Borghese you should make it. You can walk from one to the other if you have enough time, it is always a pleasant walk around the city.