For those of you who'll be traveling in Italy this weekend, here's how to find a list of the museums and sights that will be free on Saturday and Sunday. Go to www.beniculturali.it, go a short way down the page to the box that includes the phrase Entra Gratis, click on the box and then page down the article that displays to the only link (begins with aprono) and click on it. The link will take you to a list of provinces. Click on the province you'll be in on Saturday and Sunday, and it will give you a list of the free museums and sights by city and the times they'll be open.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23296 posts
We were in Europe over that weekend two years ago. It may be free but you pay a huge price in mobs and lines. Skip the main attractions and focus on the small ones that you might not be willing to visit if you had to pay a fee. And there will be some site that are only open on these days. So check around. It can be a great opportunity to see things that you might not be able to see at other times.
Posted by
OP
WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
For travelers' future reference, wait times to get into museums in Florence were quite reasonable this past free weekend. I waited 10 minutes for the Accademia at 10:30am and 20 minutes for the Ufizzi at 4:50pm. The museums were no more crowded than usual. Wait times at other sights varied from zero to 10 minutes, with most of the wait due to the security check. You can also reserve an entry time and pay only the reservation fee (no entry fee). How were the wait times in other cities?
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
712 posts
Ciao Frank (the OP). THANKS BUNCHES for this post as I was able to go to Accademia on Saturday and Uffitzi on Sunday. To avoid the lines we paid the 4 euro reservation fee but still was a great savings (of which I later used toward purchases at San Lorenzo...). We waited about 5-8 minutes at Accademia for a 2:30 appointment on Saturday and about the same for a 4:00 appointment on Sunday at Uffitzi. Inside wasn't a bit crowded (as indicated by the fact that I could easily find a seat on the benches surrounding David). There were quite a few groups though that made it look more crowded than it actually was. Whoever didn't take advantage of this due to fear that it would be crazy crowded truly missed out.
Posted by
Buffalo Grove, IL, United States
12 posts
We took advantage of the free day on Sunday, and went to the Accademia and the Barghello. Paid 4€ each in morning for a reserved time at 4:00 pm for the Accademia. Waited about 20 minutes in line at 4:00, but well worth it considering the long line waiting to get in without a reservation. Had no problem at the Barghello, getting in. Both museums are wonderful.