Italy May 2018

Jim,

First, congratulations on taking your first solo trip across the pond. My Italian trip this year will be my third solo trip. The best part of solo traveling is that every decision is yours. And in the cities on your itinerary, it seems to me that it is very difficult to make bad choices.

My first reaction to your post is that you are an intelligent man for getting the Firenze Card. I remember the long lines at the Uffizi or Accademia and shook my head as I walked to the Firenze Card entrance and saved hours of time.

While in Florence, please go see the Brancacci Chapel in the in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine. It is covered by the Firenze Card.

There is a similar program in Rome that I use that gives priority access to St Peter's and the Vatican Museum (where you can see the divine Sistine Chapel). The following link will get you to the website https://www.romeandvaticanpass.com. The specifics of how the card works are a little complicated, but it includes a HOP on HOP off bus that has many stops at important churches and Roman sights, there is a travel pass that let's you use the bus and/or metro, and it has entrance to two other sights that you can choose (you will want to use one for the Colosseum because you get priority access).

I have not used it, but the Rome pass above includes an audioguide for St. Peter's. I have used the Rick Steve's audioguides at many sights (St. Peter's, Vatican Museum, Louvre, etc.), and I find them fantastic, funny and free (please remember funny if you use the Vatican Museum audioguide in the discussion of Laocoon - Snakes). There is an audioguide for all the sights you have mentioned in Rome, I think, on the Rick Steve's app.

Since I gave you a suggestion in Florence, I might as well give you one in Rome. Please visit the Borghese Gallery. It can be covered by the Rome pass. You will need to make a reservation.

I hope you find this helpful. Enjoy your vacation Sir.

Congratulations on your upcoming solo trip from me as well!

Your question about passes for Rome:
The Roma Pass is the most widely used but operates VERY differently than the Firenze pass. Where Florence's pass allows one entry to as many of the attractions it covers as you can fit in over its 72-hour lifespan, the Roma Pass only allows for 2 "free" entries with its 72-hour pass; entry to other attractions it covers is just at discount.

The Roma Pass does cover public transit around Rome (although not to/from the airports), whereas the standard Firenze Pass does not BUT for just an additional 5,00 € purchase the Firenzecard+ Card which covers public transit in Florence. That said, we found that city to be so compact and walkable that we didn't feel the need to use transit there at all, and we've used it very little in Rome.

To use the Roma Pass for the Borghese, you have to make a pre-reservation BY PHONE for a 2-hour time slot. From the Roma Pass FAQ page:

http://www.romapass.it/en/FAQ/

"For the Borghese Gallery and Palazzo Valentini (Domus Romane), the
ticket reservation is required, but free for Roma Pass 72 Hours and/or
Roma Pass 48 Hours holders, since the museum allows a limited number
of visitors...If you intend to visit the museum / site with your Roma
Pass 72 Hours or Roma Pass 48 Hours, you must make your reservation on
the phone, by calling +39 0632810."

To use the Firenze Card to climb the cupola at the Duomo, you have to make a reservation when you get to Florence. From the Firenze Card FAQ page:
http://www.firenzecard.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20&Itemid=119&lang=en

"You don't need to make any reservations with Firenzecard,except for
the Dome (Cupola). For the Dome (Cupola)the booking is required - you
have to make it at the ticket office in piazza San Giovanni 7 after
the collection of the free ticket. Firenzecard lets you visit the
museums when you want to and you enter directly into the museums
through the reserved entrances. Just go to the priority access
following the “Firenzecard” signs and show your card to the staff of
the museums."

In respect to Omnia Card linked above:
I am not a fan as I think it's vastly overpriced. I am also not a fan of Rome's hoho buses as routes are limited, they cannot drop you directly AT many attractions, and they've been getting lukewarm to really-lousy reviews for some years now. Common complaints are surly operators, dirty buses, broken equipment, long wait for buses too full to pick up passengers (walking to the next attraction can be faster) etc. It's really not much more than the Roma Pass with the hoho, Vatican Museums and fast-track entry to St Peter's tacked on...for a whole lot more $$$.

My advice would be to go with the Roma Pass, use it for the Borghese and Colosseum/Forum/Palatine (they count as a single attraction) - if you find the convenience and transport piece attractive - and order your entry tickets to the Vatican Museums directly through their website. The "open tour" for individuals is just their general entry ticket, it's not a guided tour, that allows you independent access to all parts of the museums at your own pace.
Price: € 17.00 + € 4.00 reservation fee.

http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/visita-i-musei/scegli-la-visita/musei-e-collezioni/musei-vaticani-e-cappella-sistina/visita-libera-musei-vaticani-e-cappella-sistina.html

St. Peter's and San Giovanni in Laterano (touted in the Omnia Card) are both free. Get to St Pete's early in the morning - before the opening hour - and the security-check line often is not long and moves quickly. While the Omnia says it includes some audioguides, you can easily either rent them on your own, use a guidebook, or use Rick's free downloads for attractions he covers:

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-tours/italy

Does this help?

If the Vatican Museums are really important to you, you may want to take one of the tours that provide early access, before the museums open to the public. Otherwise, I think you'll be very disappointed by the crowds; I'm sure they're worse now than they were in 2007.

I haven't taken one of the early tours myself, but I think the companies mentioned here include Walks of Italy ("Pristine Sistine" tour), Dark Rome and City Wonders. I think perhaps you can also get early access directly from the Vatican website at a lower price, but I haven't verified that.

I don't know how well any of the above will fit with your desire to go at your own pace, though I don't see any reason why you couldn't just ignore the guide once you are inside. From all reports, those early tours (or a late entry, which I think is also available) are the only way to have anything approaching a decent experience in the Sistine Chapel.

I purposely allowed time for a day trip from Rome, so if anyone has
any suggestions about how best to use that time I'd appreciate it.

Well, it depends on what sorts of things you like to see? Orvieto (by train) has been a much-loved choice amongst posters who've done it, and while not exactly far from Rome, our long walk on the Appia Antica has been our #1 favorite day in Rome so far; so much to see along the way!

https://www.parcoappiaantica.it

Tivoli comes up as a popular choice as well. Just a start?