texgirl

I found a good trip report with details about the Papal Audience from 5/2006 on this board, but am looking for more current info. I have requested tickets through Santa Susanna, but my questions are...

1) What time should we arrive to get good seats and are the best seats still on any available aisle?

2) How long does it last?

3) Which brings me to my next question, we have Scavi tickets for 3:30...so what should we do in between? I probably want to spend more time than that visiting the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, so we will do that another day.

4) Lastly, can someone recommend a good restaurant in that area for lunch?

Thank you.

Girlspytravel

I can't help you with the Papal Audience questions, as I've not done that, others on the board have, and can provide that information to you. I do know that it is held on Wednesday mornings, and I don't think it lasts more than 30 minutes or so. After that, why not take a stroll through the Piazza over to Via Borgo Pio, and go to one of the very good trattoria they have on this street? At lunchtime it gets very crowded, as you're competing with tourists, the Swiss Guards, and various priests and papal prelates for a spot to eat.

I can recommend Da Roberto's-this, I was told, was one of Pope Benedetto's favorite lunch spots-it's a very ordinary trattoria, but the pasta dishes are excellent, as are the salads-I've not ordered the secondi-such as the meat or chicken dishes, but I understand they are very good. This is very simple cooking, very well prepared-just get there before the rush.

If you have some additional time between the Papal Audience, lunch and the fascinating Scavi tour, you might want to browse the Vatican museum shops.

texgirl

Thanks girlspytravel for your response. I never seem to budget in time for souvenier shopping, so that would be a good thing to do on Wednesday.

texgirl

Does anyone have more information on the length of the papal audience...what time to get there and how long it usually lasts? I have seen posts that say about 30 minutes to 2 hours and am trying to plan the rest of the day.

Thanks.

quokka

The one I attended last year in May lasted about two hours.

Be there at least 45 minutes, if not an hour earlier to find ok seats.

Afterwards, there will be some 50.000 people looking for a place to have lunch, so finding a free table in the area won't be easy.

vivi

Do you think that going to the Vatican Museum during the papal audience might work in terms of smaller crowds/ shorter lones?

missypie

Was it my report from May 2006 that you read? We arrived 2 hours early and had decent, center aisle seats, but they were no where near the front. I recall the whole thing (after the Pope's arrival) lasting about an hour. I guess you could try to leave early, but it is difficult if you have an aisle seat. You see, the chairs are all arranged nicely in rows. Then, as the Pope approaches, there is a mad dash to get as close to the aisle as possible. In the mayhem, chairs are pushed all over the place. When everyone sits down, it's sort of a game of musical chairs...we ended up short a chair, and I held my daughter on my lap the whole time. By then, there are no more neat rows to speak of...just a jumble of people in chairs, so you'd have to do some major climbing over people to get out(not to mention seeming rude). If you go, count on it taking up your entire morning.