Colosseum official ticketing site gone wonky?

Just tried it on my iPad and it opened right up. Hmm

That's very puzzling. I clicked on the first link you posted and the site popped up immediately.

I just tried your links on DuckDuckGo and I had no problems.

Link works for me too. Maybe try Chrome Incognito mode?

Thanks to all of you!
No idea what Chrome Incognito is. I tried Safari private window.
I'm thinking it might be an IP block. Why? No idea. I might try to contact the main site when it's 'up' tomorrow, Rome time. I was able to get into that one yesterday. (https://colosseo.it/en/ )

Have you had any luck getting access to the site? I’ve been having the same issue you described and tried all the mentioned solutions with no luck. I’ve never had this problem before. I was able to get it to work on my phone yesterday if I turned the wifi off and used data, but now it isn’t working with data either.

Hi Alyssa -
No, still having no luck, and the issue was turned over to their Helpdesk last week, who in turn passed to the IT dept. with my IP for diagnostics after all else failed. Still waiting for word; I sent a reminder to them yesterday.

It might be a good idea for you to contact the Helpdesk with the same problem? That way they'll see that the issue is a bit more widespread than just on my end. [email protected]

BTW, we ruled out browser, cache, network and VPN issues, and the site won't work on any of our devices (phones, Ipad, laptop) so I'm still thinking it's an IP block of some sort. LOL, take that with a grain of salt as I'm a real knob when it comes to tech stuff but they evidently can't figure it out either (so far.) Have never - and personally would never - use it on my phone as I much prefer laptop but we both tried it just to see if it would work.

Opera has a built-in VPN function, you could install it, activate the (free) VPN
function, and see if that allows you to access the site.

When you say you don't use a VPN and you believe it's some sort of IP
address blocking function, you're describing both the problem and a solution
in the same breath.

Or, go to the library and see if you can access from their network.

Thanks for the suggestions, shoeflyer, but as another poster in another part of the country is having the same issue, I'd prefer that they report it too and see what the Powers That Be have to say. I'm not personally all that interested in installing Opera and am thinking the problem is on their end.

I'd be curious to know if this is a problem for some others who don't belong to a forum - thus haven't made their difficulty public- and/or can't find the help desk address.

Thank you, Kate, for the help desk email. In case it was a home wifi issue, I tried at work this morning and again at the end of my day using their wifi. I had confusing results: I was able to get access to the ticketing site on my work laptop & personal phone in the morning. This afternoon, I still had access on the computer but was blocked on my phone. I'm guessing you're right that it is some sort of IP address block on my personal devices (since my phone & personal laptop failed to access the site yesterday), though it's weird that my phone worked once today. I have tried with a VPN but it doesn't like that either.

I plan to experiment some more, but I will go ahead and email the help desk. Hopefully they can figure something out! I'm planning to make an attempt at the elusive underground tickets by getting up in the middle of the night in a few weeks. I suppose worst case scenario, if access remains on my work laptop, I make my attempt from my job's parking lot! I'd agree though that if we have this problem, other people probably do too, so it would be great if the IT staff could find a solution.

Hi back, Alyssa, and a belated welcome to the RS forum gang!

Let me know what they tell you? The help desk had responded pretty quickly to my first report but I haven't had a peep since submitting my requested IP address 5 days ago. They'll likely ask you for that info too; a copy/paste of their directions:

"Could you please visit the following website to retrieve your public IP address: https://whatismyipaddress.com
Once you have it, simply reply with the IP address shown at the top of the page (“Your IP Address Is…”), and I’ll pass it along to have it checked. Occasionally, access may be temporarily limited by automated protections based on repeated visits or geographic filters, and your IP is key to diagnosing that."

On a side note....
I'm planning to make an attempt at the elusive underground tickets by getting up in the middle of the night in a few weeks.

Do not despair if you can't get your hands on those tickets before they sell out - usually at lightning speed - for your dates. You can see down into large parts of the underground from points all around the upper tiers - you don't even have to access the arena floor - so I personally don't think it's worth losing multiple nights of zzzzzs over! Browse some of the more recent shots tourists have posted on TripAdvisor and you'll see what I mean. :O)

I heard back this morning, but basically all they said was that if I can't get into the website, I might be able to purchase tickets on-site the day off my visit. I've sent an email back to ask if there's anyone that can help with the potential IP address block. I'll let you know if I hear back. I was able to get into the website at home this morning...hoping it stays that way, but it seems like my access is inconsistent. If you haven't already, maybe give the website another try just in case?

Thanks for the tip about the underground. As a former Latin student, I feel the need to give it a try in case I get super lucky, but I've accepted the fact that I likely won't and have a plan B.

Sometimes, websites will block entry of IP addresses if they make multiple attempts to open a webpage because they may be deeming it as a hacking attempt or a bot trying to make multiple purchases. This is standard procedure and has been for decades. Did you clear your cache, cookies? Did you restart those devices having issues? If happening at home did you restart your router, modem etc? Believe me, as a networking/ computer nerd it even happens to me occasionally and usually a hard restart will suffice to clear the issue. Hope you’ve been able to clear it up.

Hi Jon,
As above, "BTW, we (myself and the ticketing help desk) ruled out browser, cache, network and VPN issues, and the site won't work on any of our devices (phones, Ipad, laptop). Yes, emptied cache and all that. I've used the site MANY times in the past without issue so I can't believe it's being blocked due to frequency of access. And after all, guides and tour companies -the RS 7-day Rome tour includes the interior of the Colosseum - likely use the ticketing site quite a lot too.

Thanks for the suggestion, Alyssa, but I just tried again and nada. :O(

Try the website in the morning, US time. I read a while ago that websites over there that end with '.it' close down when the actual museum is closed for the day.

That's been true of the main Colosseum website (https://colosseo.it/en/) but not the ticketing site. They're separate; I can get into the one but not the other. Been this way for nearly 2 weeks.

Hi Kate,
I wanted to update you that I did hear back from the help desk, but I didn't get any useful information. They just responded with what we already know (like not using a VPN, trying different browsers, etc.). The emails seemed like they might have been automated, so I'm not sure I was actually getting through to a real person. Over the past two weeks, I have mostly had access to the ticketing site, except for the occasional random block that generally goes away within a day. Hopefully you'll regain access soon... I'm sorry I can't report back with something more helpful!

Hi Alyssa -
They got back to me too and offered nothing I haven't already tried. I still don't have access. :O(