Scavi Tour

If you're standing in St. Peter's Square at the Obelisk facing the Basilica, then you would head to your Left and through the Charlemagne Colonnade. Once through the colonnade, you'll see a small building guarded by two Swiss guards and fronted by an X-Ray machine. You have to have your "email voucher" and go through the X-Ray unit to gain admittance to this area. Enter and walk straight back (they'll point for you) and you'll come to the Scavi Office on your right, under an archway. Usually they "open" this access-way about 15-20 minutes before tours start.

Thanks Ron. And if I have a small backpack with me, I believe I've read I can't take it with me so is the place where to store this very far away?

To check your backpack, you go through the security line at the right of the Basilica. That can take some time, so give yourself a buffer. It took us almost an hour one afternoon last October to check my husband's daypack. I was allowed to take my purse in, a cross-body PacSafe bag. After Security and checking your bag, you head across the piazza to the location Ron outlined so well. If you can dumpt he backpack/daypack, it would be good.

Thanks everyone!