Decided to do this after reading all the posts. Which site should I book this on. Will be in Venice Dec 1-3. How much should this cost. Every site I go to, the prices are different. Is this a reliable website:
http://www.tickitaly.com/tickets/iti...es-tickets.php

Thanks.

Hi P

Secret Itineraries tour of Doge’s palace Phone number is 011 39 041 520 9070. English-speaking operator.

You will not be charged for your tickets if you don't go on the tour.

No need to pay a commission to an agency to book this. Call them directly at 011-39-041-520-9070.

Thanks.

Or, your hotel can arrange it for you.

So should I call and pre-book now for early December or let the hotel take care of it when I get there? Don't know what to expect in Dec in terms of lines. I would think it's not that busy. Probably a good idea to just call and book. Thanks.

Stupid question alert:

How do you pronounce "Doges?"

(I want to avoid an embarassing mispronunciation scene when I ask for assistance from my hotel)

Say Doge:
Here goes -
I'm assuming your hotel clerk will be Italian so let's say it like he/she would.
1.there are no apostrophes used in Italian,so you can't say Doge'sPalace
and since its where the Doges(plural) lived it would be Palazzo dei Dogi(palace of the doges)
2.general rule:letter g followed by e or i makes soft g,which sounds like a "j" like in angel
--still learning myself-hope i'm right

if I remember correctly, you must pay in CASH.

The official name in Italian is the "Palazzo Ducale."

Doge has been adopted into English, and in either language it isn't pronounced according to standard Italian: the final "e" is silent. It's just "doje." Rhymes with the beginning of "cogent."

Thank you for the pronunciation, grammar, and translation lessons.

Italian has very very few uses
silent letters
I believe Doge is pronounced close to
do-jay

I meant to add, I believe that Doge is the Venetian dialect version of Duce (doo chay), meaning Duke (or, in Mussolini's case, Leader)

Now that I think of it, maybe the Italians who didn't pronounce the final "e" when speaking to me were probably speaking English and trying to Anglicize the word. That would make more sense, wouldn't it? But then again, a number of Italian dialects, including Venetian, drop endings that are pronounced in standard Italian. I'll have to check this out in an Italian (not Italian-English) dictionary!

Okay, I'm going for "do-jay," too. Sorry I was wrong before.