I realized that the day we planned to go to an early private tour of the Vatican falls on May Day.
Two questions: will the Vatican be open on that national holiday? 2. Do taxis run on that day? Would we have problems getting one, given the huge crowd that comes in for concerts or whatever other festivities are planned?
Thanks!
TAC
Q&A:
1. The Vatican museums will be closed. The basilica should be open.
2. Yes, taxis are available.
3. Not sure if you will have to wait longer than usual.
One thing to consider is that Italian taxis are generally parked at taxi stands waiting for clients, and don't just drive around to get passengers who hail them. Actually you will see nobody hailing taxis in the street. That is not a common practice in Italy. The best strategy is to call a taxi or go to a taxi stand, because hailing a taxi won't work too well. Most taxis you see driving in the street are either already carrying passengers or going to pick up passengers, therefore if you hail them they won't stop.
Taxi parking maps, lists, and telephone numbers are contained in the City of Rome website page below:
.
http://www.comune.roma.it/wps/portal/pcr?jp_pagecode=trasp_pub_taxi.wp&ahew=jp_pagecode
Many thanks for this information. I'm sorry to say it has confirmed our worst fears.
It seems that many if not most sites will be closed on May 1. So my next question to seasoned travelers is: what IS open on May 1 in Rome? I know we can walk and view exteriors, but can we go into anything? I have heard that churches may be closed, too, but I have not been able to verify that. Advice will be most welcome.
Actually May Day is when "International Workers' Day" (i.e. "Labor Day") is celebrated in most countries around the world, not only in Italy.
May 1 was chosen as the date for International Workers' Day by the Socialists and Communists of the Second International to commemorate the Haymarket affair in Chicago that occurred on May 4, 1886.
May 1, or May Day, is also a recognized Holiday in the Vatican Calendar. But International Workers' Day being a "communist" holiday (that's why the US celebrates Labor Day in September), the Vatican celebrates it as: the Day of San Giuseppe Artigiano (Day of St. Joseph Artisan).
Hello!
Here's the Vatican Museums Calendar for the 2015: http://www.aroundrometours.com/vatican-museums-2015-visitors-guide-and-calendar-art30-uid1.htm
The Basilica is free and generally open but is subject to last minute closures for religious ceremonies.
If I can be helpful someway else just ask me and I'll be more than grateful to help you! :)
My husband and I were in Rome on May 1, 2014. We found that most/all the sights were closed for the holiday. I believe the Vatican was also closed. We spent the day exploring and seeing sights that didn't require tickets (Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps, piazza Navano, and a lot of the ruins around the Coliseum). Rick Steve's has a great walk in his Rome book that includes many of these places that we followed. Rome is crowded in general so it didn't feel any more congested on that day then it did on the day before or the day after. We didn't go to the concert but I've heard it's very very crowded. This was actually one of our favorite days because we could literally explore as much as we wanted. We ended up walking across the river and literally falling in love with the Trastevere neighborhood, such a great find! All restaurants were open, taxis running as well as the subway, so no problems with that.
Many thanks for the update on May 1 from someone who has survived it. The walks mesh with our family discussions. Do you know if the Borghese Gallery is open on May 1? We have been told it is, and their Web site isn't current to 2015. If it is, we probably will try to get in--along with a million other tourists I bet! Thanks again for all the info, it is appreciated.
TAC
Don't worry about May 1 unless you're just flying in for the day!! Walk around and enjoy yourselves, enjoy the piazzas! DO know, however, that the Borghese Museum requires a Reservation! You must make it early, I'd advise a month in advance, because you won't be able to walk in like other places! It is amazing! You will get a time for your visit. Arrive 20-30 minutes early. They will put your purse, etc., in a locked bin and give you a receipt. Don't worry, it will be secure.
You will be allowed 2 hours to tour the museum. Afterwards you can walk through the amazing property/gardens. I went toRome
probably four times before I made time for this beautiful place. Don't know what I was waiting for!
To answer your question about the Borghese, yes, it's open May 1. Unless they throw me for a loop, the hours and annual closure days really never change.
http://www.galleriaborghese.it/borghese/en/einfo.htm
What the website doesn't yet reflect that of July 1, 2014. the major state museums were supposed to remain open until 10:00 PM on Fridays. May 1 just happens to be a Friday!
Roberto, do you have any insights on that?
What a great response! Thank you for the update on the Borghese Gallery's May 1 schedule. This is what I hoped to hear, but had only guessed at given the limited Web site info. at this point.
I think most other things will be closed May 1 because of the national holiday. The Colosseum is out; the Pantheon is out; the Vatican is out; and most of the churches are iffy.
So we will try to get the Borghese and plan to walk the streets of Rome until the next day.
Thanks to everyone for their help on this
When I tried to book reservations for the Borghese Gallery May 1 did not have an option for tickets the entire day. All other days were available. This tells me that either all the reservations have been booked, or the gallery is closed on May 1.
Yep, May Day is a slow day for tourists in Italy.
This is the time, as Rick says, to take a vacation from your vacation. Slow down and enjoy the time off.
May Day is the Feast Day (the second, the other being yesterday, March 19th) for St. Joseph the Worker. Yes St. Joseph is so important that he gets two Feast Days! A Saint's Feast Day is the day that that saint dies on earth and rises and is greeted into heaven....thus the feast. This has become a political holiday (Communist Russia as a country of workers).
Thanks for responses. I learned a while ago that the Borghese was definitely closed on May 1. So we are going the following day.
Museums are closed . . . but many churches are open. Not all, but when I contact them by email, they graciously respond with a yes and hours (usually), or a no (only one so far).
So between walks and getting into the churches I particularly wanted to see, I think we are good.
Thanks for everyone's responses.
Hi, I'm also gonna be there on May 1st. Could you confirm which churches will be open as I was planning on visiting as well? Thanks!
This is quite an old thread - last October.
But there is still useful information as several folks will be there THIS May 1. I am also curious what will be open on that day although I expect our RS tour guide will have lots of information for us!
I tried to reply this morning but the RS site was done. So here it is:
St. Peters is open, not Vatican Museums
Basilica Di Santa Prassede
Basilica di San Clemente al Laterano
Santa Maria Sopra Minerva
The Church of San Luigi dei Francesi is NOT open May 1.
The Castel Sant'Angelo is supposed to be open on May 1, but I have not verified that. It is near the Vatican area, so you could do that and St. Peters (and see the bridge with the sculptures of angels).
plus you can walk the squares and have a great time.
TAC
May 1 is an excellent opportunity for a walkabout of the neighborhoods and sites which don't require tickets/hours. A couple of ideas:
Walk via Appia Antica: see the catacombs at St. Sebastian or St. Callixtus:
http://www.parcoappiaantica.it/en/testi.asp?l1=1&l2=6&l3=0&l4=0
Take the elevator to the top of Monumento Vittorio Emanuele
Wander the ruins at Portico d'Ottavia and past Teatro di Marcello - free and always open. There are signs in English to tell you what you're looking at:
http://www.turismoroma.it/cosa-fare/portico-d’ottavia?lang=en
http://www.turismoroma.it/cosa-fare/teatro-marcello?lang=en
Peer at Area Sacra at Largo Argentina from the sidewalks above (the ruins themselves are closed): Free and signs in English - or were when we were there. This is where Julius Caesar was assassinated:
Piazza del Popolo and excellent Santa Maria del Popolo:
http://www.060608.it/en/cultura-e-svago/luoghi-di-culto-di-interesse-storico-artistico/chiese-cattoliche/santa-maria-del-popolo.html
Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore:
http://www.060608.it/en/cultura-e-svago/luoghi-di-culto-di-interesse-storico-artistico/chiese-cattoliche/basilica-di-santa-maria-maggiore.html
Santa Maria in Trastevere:
http://www.060608.it/en/cultura-e-svago/luoghi-di-culto-di-interesse-storico-artistico/chiese-cattoliche/basilica-di-santa-maria-in-trastevere.html
Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano: the Pope's church as the Bishop of Rome (no, that's not St Peter's):
http://www.060608.it/en/cultura-e-svago/luoghi-di-culto-di-interesse-storico-artistico/chiese-cattoliche/basilica-di-san-giovanni-in-laterano.html
Basilica San Celemente:
http://www.basilicasanclemente.com/eng/index.php/informations/excavations
Walk up the Aventine to see the municipal rose gardens (in bloom!) and old. very interesting Santa Sabina. There's a great view of the back of the Palatine and other parts of the city from up there:
http://www.060608.it/en/cultura-e-svago/verde/giardini-ville-e-parchi-urbani/roseto-comunale.html
There are oodles of things to do - including more churches, parks, etc. A disclaimer here: I won't swear to the 100% accuracy of the hours provided on the web links - although that info is as 'official' as it gets. Churches can shut their doors for any number of reasons so don't hold me responsible if you find them so!
An additional note for those of you who will be in Rome on May 3: that is a free Sunday at all Italian state museums (in Rome: Borghese, Colosseum, Forum, Palatine, Castel Sant’Angelo, Baths of Diocletian, etc) and the most-visited of those will be a ZOO so it's another good time to run off in search of other things to do - although some of the lesser attractions may not be overrun. One RS member mentioned that she was unable to snag reservations for the Borghese that day (mandatory even on free Sundays) so they're already booked up. The complete list (Rome and surrounds) here:
That may also be a good day to visit Rome's civic museums - which are not free on 1st Sundays: Capitoline, Markets of Trajan/Imperial Forum, and Ara Pacis.
http://en.museicapitolini.org
http://en.mercatiditraiano.it
http://en.arapacis.it/il_museo/editoriale
I just have a couple of comments from when I was in Rome on May 1 a few years ago. I went to the Borghese that day. I was also scheduled to do a tour of the coliseum and forum, which were open that year. However, the workers at those sites staged a surprise strike, And our guide was not surprised about that. One other option for you – the walking tour companies are typically operating, so it might be a good day to schedule something like that. The walking tour I scheduled on that day was with Context Rome, and when the guide found that the planned sites were on strike, she was really good about offering us the option of either visiting other sites with her or getting a refund.
I also have one comment about your taxi question. The taxis were running, but when I left the Borghese (had the last entrance of the day), There were absolutely no taxis around. Every one that I saw had people in it, and there were none at the taxi stands. Some young men I asked told me where the nearest hotel was, so my plan was to get a taxi at the hotel (hopefully). Happily, one of those young me saw a cab, grabbed it, and they drove until he found me. A wonderful memory!
So, if you decide to visit the gallery, it might be good to get an early reservation time. The year I was there on May 1, the metro and buses ran until mid-afternoon. The taxi situation got crazy after they stopped running.
