A few venues in Italy (e.g., Colosseum, Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, etc.), according to Rick, do not allow "large backpacks" and some have no means of checking bags. How big are we talking? For instance, would the day bags Rick sells on this site pass muster or are they too large as well? If so, does anyone have a sense of what dimensions are permitted?
We have a 1 1/2 year-old and some items are essential to have with us at all times, needless to say.
Thanks in advance!
Perhaps instead of taking one large bag you could take two smaller bags. This way you would have no issues.
Larger bags are not permitted inside most sites. At the Vatican museums these are the regulations:
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-Info/MV_Info_Consigli.html
Donna
The Civita shoulder bag is 11x9x3 (inches). The Vatican specs from the link you supplied are approximately 15.75x13.75x5.9, which would suggest that the bag is small enough not to cause any trouble with entry. I'm curious if other sites in Italy with entry restrictions allow bags of similar dimensions.
What are people's experiences who have been, say, to the Colosseum and such?
If the Civita bag is stuffed, you may have to check it. Backpacks generally are more problematic than shoulder or messenger bags.
Many venues I visited in Italy didn't allow anything larger than a medium sized purse (about the size of the civita shoulder bag). Also, many did not allow any type of backpack, regardless of size or they only allowed small backpacks if worn on the front of your body. I presume this is because some people forget they are wearing them and knock things over or bang them into other people/objects when they turn. (And PLEASE, no selfie sticks!)
I have found most Italian sightseeing venues to have pretty good explanations of what is/is not allowed on their web sites.
If you wear a backpack over one arm and under the arm like a shoulder bag you may get away with it if it is not too stuffed. I have also found that if I carry a messenger bag or daypack over one arm that I am likely to have no issues whereas my husband will be asked to check it. It reads as a purse when a woman carries it and as luggage when a man does. So I always carry our messenger bag when we go into museums or similar sites. We also avoid bags altogether as much as possible. You will be surprised how little you need to carry around town if you get in the habit of not feeling like you need to survive in the woods for 3 days with what you carry. I buy travel clothes with pockets and hidden inner pockets for valuables and often go without a bag at all.
We just left the Colloseum. My husband carried a day pack on his back. No one questioned him. It did have to go through security. You shouldn't have any problem with a medium sized day pack.
The rules are the rules. Some people "get away with" bringing in a larger bag or backpack and some don't. If you want to guarantee entry, leave the back pack in your room and carry a small to medium sized bag.
Donna
The Colosseum is a quite different venue from a museum. Museums and especially small museums are likely to ban backpacks; there is no point in a place like the colosseum where the bag will be searched coming in but provides no hazard to the site..
I do wonder at the mentality of someone who is so concerned about 'rule are rules' -- the point of no backpack rules is to prevent damage from a swinging bag. when worn as a purse over one arm or over one shoulder and under the arm then it doesn't present that problem.
That's not the only reason backpacks aren't allowed inside most venues. Besides the fact that they can cause damage to the actual site, they can also hit other people and they take up more room than normal bags do. Rules are there for a reason and if you're a guest visiting somewhere you should abide by their rules regardless if you agree with them or not.
Donna
miksat,
My wife & I use the RS Veloce Guide Bag for IPad. Most of the time in it's expanded mode.
The only time it has been checked was at the Borghese. It's been x-rayed, visually inspected by guards but we have never checked it anywhere else in our travels through Italy.
Gene
