lavandula

I totally get why they are charging admission to the Pantheon. I have recently read that Belgium is seeking to de-market itself in much the same way that Amsterdam moved its iamsterdam sign. They are worried about overtourism in Bruges and have taken steps to stop more than 2 cruise ships per day landing at Zeebrugge to minimize impact on Bruges. They are also no longer advertising Bruges at the airport and are trying to encourage pyjama tourism (where people stay overnight) in Ghent, as too many people come for the day but spend no significant money. We all want to travel, and that's the problem, people who previously could not afford or did not contemplate travel can now do so due to the democratisation of travel, and cruises unfortunately degorge mass travellers in huge volumes. Rick Steves is marvellous but he teaches everyone what to do, so now everyone can do it, and I contribute to this problem also by continuing to travel myself, especially to locations which are in high demand. On one hand it's great but on the other hand, it's leading to the degradation of important sites for humanity. I am all for slowing down and maybe sharing the love amongst sites and cities that are not so tourist-worthy. And I might just rub shoulders with a local, instead of a tourist.

Lavandula

bilboburgler

I have to admit I have been visiting lesser known places for many years now and frankly avoid the large places, I prefer the simple things, the chats to citizens on the street, the local farmers markets, the local town museums and staying in B&B where you have an opportunity to learn special things from normal people. The Louvre no longer interests me and didn't do much for me when I went a fair few years back, but finding the Paris signs that identified where Jews where rounded up in each district, while vile in their story, was emotionally more challenging than the Venus di Milo.

Similarly skiing at famous mountains is not as much fun as taking a small lodge on a ski-de-fond piste in the middle of nowhere.

Who wants to holiday with a crowd of tourists?

I feel, that in the same way that cars are advertised in a false dream environment (Tuscan hillside, no other traffic) the reality is a nightmare of a line of traffic. So too are holidays shown as being shown a special piece of art by a guide, when in reality there is a nightmare of a heaving mass, the opportunity to catch sickness and a general rush.

Nearly all our first time visitors to Europe want to start with visiting three countries in 10 days going to the most famous cities by car, staying at the busiest time and behaving as they do at home (cues tipping and car driving threads). Those of us with any experience always say slow down and enjoy your holiday "but I always fly long distances, drive for miles and expect perfect service".

what to say

kswl3

I hope the Pantheon is still free to italian citizens. If not, it should be. I also don’t understand why a third of the ticket income is being given to the Roman Catholic Church for charitable use.

The disorganization of the ticketing process… TBH I’d be surprised if it wasn’t confusing and problematic, abused by tour companies and the tickets counterfeited.

cdnyul

I am glad I have the "majors" about 40 years ago.
However, I would rather be 20 years old and making new memories,
Didn't mind the crowds when I was young.

cdnyul

I am glad I did most of the "majors" about 40 years ago.
However, I wouldn't mind being in my twentes again and making new memories, crowds and all.

bvlenci

Annhig, I don't find that explanation very convincing. Thieves of archaeological treasures don't need guards to signpost the digs. And if they don't guard the sites, they really don't know how much has been stolen.

bvlenci

Because the Pantheon is actually a church.

The Catholic Church has for a long time maintained free entrance to all the churches in Rome. Even St. Peter's Basilica has no admission fee. In most other Italian cities, there is an entrance fee for touristic visits to churches. I don't know if the Roman Church has decided to change its policy, or if this is a special case.

Melnq8

mlgb beat me to it.

We've almost always traveled in the 'shoulder season' and 'off season', and I'm convinced they don't really exisit anymore. The same holds true for running errands in my hometown - there never seems to be a good time anymore; it's just 'busy' and 'more busy'.

bvlenci

Here is a good and interesting article about the history of the Pantheon. It's been a church for 1400 years.

https://www.pantheonroma.com/pantheon-history/

The fact that it became a church in the 7th century is probably what saved it from the wholesale spoliation for building materials that so many other Roman monuments suffered.

The dome of the Pantheon for over 2000 years holds the record of the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.

CounterClifton

Wow. My daughter and I are scheduled to be in Rome in September. First-time visiting and for me, probably the only time. It seems like it may be darn near impossible to actually see anything! Tried the link to the Culture Ministry site a number of times now and so far, "this site can't be reached". We're looking forward to the food too, of course, but if it's not possible to visit much of anything we wanted to see, I wonder if it's worth the days we've given to Rome.

zebec

CC, regarding Rome...
As in other cities there exists a few stretches of worthy strolls with very high 'bang for the buck' value. One that immediately comes to mind is via Julia, the 'salon' of Rome. Hardly a secret, but both ends of that appealing street terminate in fantastic sights. At one end, you've got that postcard view of Cast Angelo and the bridges. At the opposite, one finds an ancient arch with immediate proximity to a well-known outdoors market.
No need to contact any Ministry for a reserved visit time slot.
*suggested unique daytrip: Ninfa Gardens, available only by signing up ahead for a guided tour. Very special setting. Only an hour away.
Tante belle cose.
I am done. the crowd management

CounterClifton

Z, that would be a handy walk for us. We're staying directly across the river from the southern end of Via Guilia. I'll have to ask if she thinks she'd enjoy a garden trip. (teenager, lol). I may see if I can find us a cooking class. I know she's into that.

Christina

I can't understand why people think it is terrible or "a shame" for the Pantheon to charge a small fee. They should, why should a zillion tourists visit it every year for free, it affects their staffing and costs for upkeep. Maybe it will keep some away, also. Lots of other sites do that, that fee is very modest. Churches do that in some countries, also, like Krakow and I know Barcelona. tourists have paid nothing to build or maintain the Pantheon.

Churches that do that don't charge members of the parish or those attending church, in fact, I like the way Krakow does it as they keep tourists out during service hours.

St Mary's Basilica in Krakow charges 15 PLN which is about US$4. The cathedral in Barcelona charges 7 euro.

bvlenci

Westminster Abbey charges £27 (€32) ($35).
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Fra_Diavolo

It's not the fee -- it's the crowds, the lines and the waiting.

KTtravel

CounterCllifton, I often have trouble with Italian websites but that doesn't mean the sights won't be available to visit. Your hotel can likely make reservations for you for places where reservations would be helpful. I hope you enjoy Rome. It really is an amazing city.

Leely2

Clifton, I just checked Coop Culture site and there's a ton of availability the 24 hour Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill visit August 2-9, and some availability over the next few days. They release tickets a month in advance. I wouldn't worry about this but if you have a tight timeline for your visit, you should check 30 days prior to when you want to go. And maybe try with a couple different browsers. I use Chrome.

You can also call to purchase.

The Vatican can be tackled by going for the aperitivo visit. That's what I did when I vacationed with my sister and her family (niece's first time in the city so we *had* to go).

A lot of ancient Rome is visible just by walking around and you don''t necessarily need to go in, IMO. Granted I've been to all these sites numerous times...but they are most breathtaking lit up in the evening when you're walking home from dinner.

The National Museums of Rome are phenomenal and quite under-visited. I love Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, right across from the Baths of Diocletian.

I was in Rome last summer and finally made it to Villa Giulia, with its amazing collection of Etruscan treasures. I think it was me and about five other people in the whole museum. Okay, a teen probably wouldn't be interested in this.

dfourh

Absolutely so. In your 20's you want to go to the iconic places in your imagination, and if everyone else with the same mindset goes there, it only makes it better, because it is the place to be, and you meet people you relate to, and you have a damn great time. My days of strolling through the Parthenon and realizing that it is a magnificent building - - one of the world's most perfect buildings - - but there is not a whole lot else going on there, are over. It's (as others have described) out of the way places with great food and glorious aspects and reflections, not spoiled by idiots, I mean tourists.

cdnyul

Met my wife-to-be while dancing and celebrating Bastille Day (1976) on Place Masséna in Nice.
Didn't know we were both from the Montreal area until later.

I believe that travel is always worth it, despite the occasional bad experience.
The magic moments are worth more.

SusanP

It's still worth it. I have been to Italy many times (13). Half the trips have been other places and Rome, half have been all Rome. Rome has always been included because it's my favorite place. My favorite place in Rome is the Piazza Navona. I always go back there after dinner to have a Limoncello at my favorite cafe where the waiters know me and I can enjoy the fountains and the people (and formerly the artists). When I was there last year after not being there for a while, I was not impressed by the changes after Covid! My cafe has changed hands, the waiters I knew are gone, and worst of all, on a Friday night, there was loud music blaring! Totally ruins the ambience. Well, times change. Fortunately, I did go back, and maybe the music was a fluke or only done on Fridays. At any rate, I didn't hear it again.

My point after this rambling is that it doesn't make me not want to return to Rome. I'm already planning to go back next June following time in Puglia. On the other hand, I've of course been to the Pantheon numerous times and may not go back! 😊