Are bags not allowed in any of the major sites in Florence?
I have a messenger type bag that is a camera bag. We are staying outside the city and will commute in to visit. I want to take my DSLR, but I'm concerned there may be bag restrictions, especially after Paris. I can take just a pocket camera if necessary.
Thanks!
Doug, I carried a shoulder bag (somewhat smaller than your messenger bag, probably) for my Canon G15 plus other stuff for the day and didn't have any problems.
The problem is that the security situation in Europe is so fluid that a venue which may allow bags one day may not - or restrict the size - on another should there be a specific concern. The Uffizi does have a free checkroom for backpacks and other bags deemed too large.
There were restrictions before Paris so I doubt if much will change. Museum generally prohibit bags and the size accepted will depend on the personal at the site. I have a shoulder style day bag a touch bigger than an ipad and about 4" thick. Sometimes it is allow sometimes it is not. Some location prohibit camera so it may be taken if deemed a camera bag. I have never had problems with leaving a bag even with the camera in it. There is no way to give a blanket answer to your question other than, "It depends." There is a feeling that they are looser with woman's purse than a man's day bag.
Frank, I didn't have to check my shoulder bag or camera anywhere at all, even in places where photography was banned. National Museums which previously did not allow photography now do so I would imagine they deal with a lot more cameras and other photographic devices (no flash or tripods, though).
But the situation is fluid….
Worth a mention that the Accademia does NOT have bag check. And while we hit almost all the main attractions, there may have been a few smaller ones we missed which may have specific restrictions so yes, it depends.
Kathy and Frank
Thank you for your quick response. Since we'll be riding the bus in from the countryside, I'd have to miss the venue if bags were not allowed. Since it will be cold, I'll be wearing my jacket and my pocket camera will fit in an inside pocket. I may just play it safe and only take it to Florence.
I've also sent an email to Walks of Italy, who will be conducting our tour, to get the latest information from them.
Doug, asking your tour company what they recommend is an excellent idea as they'll have a finger on the most current situation. And "Walks of Italy" is so highly recommended by so many on this site that I'm very sure they'll have great advice.
I just got an email from Walks of Italy. I'm posting their response. I hope it will help others:
"Your Florence in a Day tour will visit the Accademia Gallery and Uffizi Gallery. While neither site has changed their requirements due to any recent events in France, neither gallery will allow large bags, purses or backpacks inside.
While the Uffizi Gallery does have a cloakroom to store over-sized bags, the Accademia Gallery does not. As they do not release the exact parameters on what makes a bag 'over-sized', to be on the safe-side, we suggest packing as lightly as possible for this tour and bringing your pocket camera. Photography is not permitted inside the Accademia Gallery but is permitted inside the Uffizi."
Doug, I will question what you're being told about photography at the Accademia. It is a State Museum and as of summer 2014 by order of the Minister of Culture, photography (no flash, tripods, etc) is allowed at all of those. There are many recent travel-forum comments from tourists noting that they were allowed to snap away with impunity.
Rules can always change in a hurry but I would tuck that camera into your pocket.
I have seen plenty of posts of photos of David recently. I too questioned that.
I don't normally shoot in museums, that's what coffee table books are for. The only time recently I wish I had a camera was to photograph a man and his seeing eye dog in a painting gallery.
THAT would have been a terrific shot, Doug!!!!
Regarding the seeing eye dog, when I was in Uffizi this summer, there were several paintings that had 3D models that had been made of the paintings so that people who were unable to see could use their hands to see the artwork that way. They also had descriptions in Braille (no idea if the Braille was in Italian, English, or both). I saw similar models at a number of museums throughout Italy. Here's an article from the NY Times from March about similar exhibits: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/07/arts/design/at-museo-del-prado-blind-visitors-can-touch-masterpieces.html
About the bags, I had a large-ish purse that I carried with me that made it past security every time. It probably would've held a DSLR, but only if I didn't need it to hold anything else. Anecdotally, it seemed that the cross body bags/purses had a better chance of being allowed in than shoulder bags or backpacks.
On our trip, my wife who is an avid, semi-professional photographer, packed her Nikon DSLR camera and an extra lens. She mainly used it when we were outside cities. We also had a Canon G10 camera which we used in the cities and museums. This camera can shoot in "RAW", and coupled with a large memory card, provided and stored a large number of quality images. In addition, the museum crowds make interior photography difficult especially if you're trying to achieve a particular setting or scenario. Also, we only took her medium sized purse which easily held the camera and had no difficulty going through security.
*kjmoller *,
Don't tell me you also have Ford and Chevy pickups! (Nikon and Canon)
When we went to Scotland in 2002, I took my first digital camera, a 3mp Canon G2. I've made 13x19 prints from some of the photos and it is amazing how well they hold up.
My little Panasonic Lumix LX7 shoots RAW files as well. It has a fast (f1.4) lens and a 24-90 effective zoom, it's just pretty noisy at anything higher than ISO 400. Most of the photos I'll be taking in Florence will be outside, so I should be good.
I'm taking the big camera (Canon 5D) mainly for countryside and small town photos. The Lumix does so well and the Canon 5D is so big, I'm really tempted to leave it at home. However, I don't know when I'll be back in Italy. I have a degree in commercial photography and I worked as a full time pro for 25 years, it's hard to not go armed for bear.
My wife and I have been looking at slides I took last time we were in Italy, which was 1966! I took a Sears Tower (Olympus) fixed lens rangefinder and 15 rolls of 36 exposure slide film. By the time we got to Paris, the lens fell off the camera!
DougMac -
So as not to stray too far off topic, I sent you a private message/response.
Have a Great Trip!
kjmoller
