August 15th- Holiday in Rome

Posted by Ears2You on 01/02/18 12:08 PM

Hello!

My family will be visiting Rome for 1 day during our MED cruise on August 15. My husband and I have visited Rome previously, but this will be my son's first time there. I just realized that August 15 is a religious holiday (Ferragosto/the assumption of the Virgin Mary). I have done some research and it looks like in previous years most major sites (Colosseum, Palatine Hill, etc.) were open, but that the Vatican museum was closed. Has anyone been in Rome on August 15th previously and can confirm what is open? Are most restaurants and store open that day? Thank you!

Posted by Gobbledygook

01/02/18 01:06 PM

752 posts

Stores and restaurants out in the neighborhoods are pretty much closed, some of them the entire month of August. But stores and restaurants In Centro are pretty much open. There might be some places here or there that are closed, but Rome In Centro is still pretty much hopping on August 15.

As for tourist sites and tourists, I saw No difference on August 15 or in the entire month of August 2017, tourists were everywhere up the kazoo, I don't remember the sites I visited that day, but everywhere I went, tourists were overwhelmingly present, to the point where there was no place to stand, buses were so packed I was frozen in place.

I think the rest of the world maybe hasn't caught on to August 15 or August in general. They come when they can and they are here in multitudes!

Posted by Kathy

Minnesota 🎒

01/02/18 01:24 PM

16708 posts

If you check the websites for Rome's main attractions, almost all of them list the days that they are closed. These will also be the websites you'd order advance tickets through.

Vatican Museums:
http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en.html

Calendar:
http://www.museivaticani.va/content/dam/museivaticani/pdf/utilities/calendario_musei_2018.pdf
(Yes, they are closed Aug 15th)

Colosseum/Forum/Palatine (one ticket covers all three):
http://www.coopculture.it/en/

Hours/closures:
http://www.coopculture.it/en/the-colosseum.cfm#
http://www.coopculture.it/en/heritage.cfm?id=4#
(All three are open Aug 15th)

Galleria Borghese is open; advance reservations are mandatory:
http://www.tosc.it/tickets.htm?affiliate=T2C&sort_by=event_datum&sort_direction=asc&fun=erdetail&doc=erdetaila&erid=912678&language=en

The Pantheon (no ticketing) will be open, although it looks like mid-week holiday hours are limited (9:00 AM - 1:00 PM). It has been reported that this one will have a small entry fee starting summer of 2018.
http://www.polomusealelazio.beniculturali.it/index.php?it/232/pantheon

And so on...

Posted by Jane

Sapulpa, OK, USA

01/02/18 02:55 PM

6585 posts

Ears, for a real treat, watch this movie before you go. It's a hoot: "Pranzo di Ferragosto." In English, the title is "Mid-August Lunch." (No, it's not a direct translation.)

We watch it before every trip to Italy. We check it out from our local library. It's in Italian with English subtitles, but there may be an English voice-over, as well.

Posted by Ears2You OP

01/03/18 01:03 AM

16 posts

Thanks everyone for the quick responses. I’m happy to hear that most things in the tourist center will be open that day.

Posted by Ilja

Seattle

01/03/18 02:11 AM

4637 posts

August in Rome: be prepared for heat and crowds. And of course pickpockets. Pickpockets in other months, too.

Posted by apaonita

Perugia, Italy

01/03/18 03:14 PM

211 posts

Enjoy your trip. Just to give more context, Ferragosto may have started out as a religious thing, but it really isn't. Think of it as a combination 4th of July and Labor Day in the U.S. It's a day for people to relax, head out to the beach or to their or their friends' country house, have a good meal, take a walk. We had a bunch of people over and they alternated between the table and the pool. The young adults brought their speakers for their iPhones so they could listen to music, friends helped in the kitchen, and we had a lot of ice cold beer and white wine on hand.