MissPrism

Has anyone been here to see the Giottos?
I see that you have to spend 15 minutes in a decontamination chamber before you enter.
The mind boggles. I just wonder what is involved

adrienne

Go see the chapel - it's fabulous!! I saw it when you could just walk in so I haven't experienced the decontamination chamber but I believe it's just a room where you wait while the air changes to the proper humidity. Lots of people have done it and I've never seen any negative comments. I think the only thing you have to do is sit.

MissPrism

Thanks. So they don't come round with giant vacuum cleaners ;-)
We look forward to seeing it

tarquin

I've done it, you just sit, which may be welcome if you've been walking for hours. The Giottos are well worth the trouble of making a reservation.

RJD

We were there in 2009, as a side trip from Venice. Well worth it although as I recall the actual visit is limited to 15 minutes. Here's a link to the site where you can buy tickets in advance:
http://www.cappelladegliscrovegni.it/eng/index_e.htm
Don't worry if you get a tour in Italian. The frescoes speak for themselves.

ellenem

During the 15 minutes, you are seated in chairs, watching a video about the frescoes. It is no big deal.

aliced

We were there in October. You are admitted for a quick video during which the previous group in the chapel exits. Frankly, we would have appreciated having a pictorial guide with us to spot which were which. Given the distance to the ceiling, it was difficult to determine the sequence. There was not an English guide available. We enjoyed the rest of Padua as much if not more than these, esp. St. Anthony Basilica. It is a beautiful, charming city, totally walkable. Wonderful architecture. There is also available a boat tour from Venice to Padua to the Paladian villas along the rivers which was not running on the day we had available.

Ackislander

Cannot recommend it highly enough, assuming you like early Italian art.

As described, you sit on chairs for twenty minutes in a non-claustrophobic glass room while air circulates (presumably through electrostatic precipitators) to remove dirt, dust, pollen and mold spores.

If you go to the multimedia center in the museum first and then see the video, you will have a very good idea of what you are seeing and why it is there.

The museum has some very nice early stuff, esp Roman, and some drek, but I found it interesting.

You need a reservation at least in theory and certainly in summer, but around the first of October, you could have gotten in without one during lunch hour.

ekc

Highly recommended - even if you are not a big art fan. If you want more than 15 minutes with the frescoes, I read a suggestion to buy 2 tickets for back-to-back time slots, which would allow you 30 minutes of viewing time.

We went with a private guide, who explained the frescoes and then took us on a tour of the various historical buildings in Padua, along with a stop for a coffee at Cafe Pedrocci - also highly recommended!

MissPrism

How high is the ceiling?
I'm not to keen on really high ceilings. They make me feel peculiar

Treesa

Loved the Giottos. The blues are magnificent. Next time I'll bring binoculars. We stayed in Padua and loved the city. Walked everywhere.

HappyTrvlr

If you can find an English written guide for the chapel to take along , do it. Very worthwhile but a wrritten guide would have made it even better.

CharlotteK

The ceilings are not terribly high (nothing like Sistine Chapel, for example). It is a beautiful human scale. They limit the group size so you are not crowded. I was there on a December weekday and there were people to fill our group, but I didn't need a reservation. I only went once as it was expensive for my budget. But worth every penny and I would go again should I ever be lucky enough to be near Padua.