My family of 4 adults are travelling to Rome & Florence in September' 24.
Our flight from Us lands in Rome Airport (FCO) at 8 Am. We are planning to take the train
to Florence. Sept 17 & train back to Rome on Sept 20. We fly back on Sept 26th to US.
Flights are booked 9/16-09/26.
My questions are
1. Vatican tickets are sold out. Is skip the line Tickets By HeadOut,reliable.
2. Trying to figure out how to purchase train ticket to Florence & back.
Should I buy return tickets or one way ticket ?
3. I have booked apartments in both cities but was looking for one near the city center.
My budget is $ 300/night
Hoping to get help from all you wonderful people.

I used the Vatican Museums website: www.museivatican.va and just chose Sept 21 and 4 people. Not available for just admission tickets however if you scroll down to Vatican Museums Guided Tour that is available. Forty euro per person and it's a 2 hour tour. Have a look.
I have never heard of Head Out but I have heard of people having trouble with third party re-sellers in Rome recently.

For train tickets you can upload the app Trainline and choose either Italo or Trenitalia which are the two train companies in Italy. There are fast trains between the two cities, make sure you use the Italian spelling of the cities.You can use this app all over Europe and can pay with it and your tickets will be held in it and you will receive updates.
So you will want Firenze Santa Maria Novella and back to Roma Termini.
Can't help with apartments, I use hotels in Italy, however September is just around the corner and is still a very very busy month in both those cities so your options may be limited. Also Florence has banned any new short term rentals in the city centre so that may be tricky to find at this stage of the game.
Which areas of each city have you already booked apartments in?

You only need Vatican tickets for the museum. Unless that's an important goal for you just skip. Plenty of other museums.

Any reseller is basically scalping tickets.

The problem with taking the train on your arrival day is you don't know when exactly. Your flight might be late Your baggage might take awhile. All this means pay the extra money and buy the ticket on arrival.

There is a TrenItalia station at the airport. You could buy both tickets there. A ticket into Rome and then ticket onwards to Florence. But you can also use Italo for the second IF the timing works better. First trip likely best to just buy both tickets from TrenItalia at the airport. Or use the app.

For the return you can use either company. Italo announces sales every weekend. With the holiday the current sale started yesterday.

With the current promo you could get the tickets back to Rome for about €11. Or less if you're willing to travel REALLY early. €11 is a pretty good price I'd just book it now unless you think your schedule doesn't fit the times or you think your dates will change. Cheap tickets are use or lose.

https://www.italotreno.com/it/offerte-treno/codicepromo

It's in Italian but maybe your browser can translate.

seat61.com for overall train advice

I agree with all that Traveler_Nick said, and will reiterate his advice to buy both tickets at the airport, and I would buy both from Trenitalia. The ticket from the airport into Rome is Trenitalia; if you get a high-speed Trenitalia ticket from there to Florence, and miss the connection, Trenitalia will rebook you free of charge. (They have agents trackside to handle such things.) Italo, of course, takes no responsibility for late Trenitalia arrivals.

I also suggest you buy the tickets as two separate transactions if you use the ticket machine. The ticket machine often routes you on a commuter train through a different connecting station, which means you have to make sure get off at the right station. The Leonardo express to Termini station makes just one stop. If you buy a ticket to Termini station, and a second ticket from Termini station to Florence, it will cost a little more, but be much simpler. The Leonardo Express also has more room for luggage.

Thank you so much, RaincityGirl for your suggestion. I did book the Vatican Museum & Sistine chapel tour guide for 09/21 @ 1.30pm.
How do I go about booking for St. Peter's Basilica so that I am at the Vatican Entrance on time.
We are thinking of going to Pompeii on Monday & will book tickets tomorrow. Is it better to visit using a tour guide?
We love museums & churches, any suggestions are welcome please.
We decided to buy train tickets once we are in Rome, thanks for suggesting.

Thanks, Traveller Nick, for the suggestion. Will book tickets when we are at the airport.

No ticket required fro St Peter's Basilica - but there are often lengthy security lines. And be sure to abode the dress code - no shorts for men, no bare shoulders for women

Thanks, bvlenci, for the suggestion.

Thanks, Seamus .

When you're in the chapel ask if the entrance to the basilica is open. IIRC it was closed during Covid but maybe reopened now. It used to be included with the tours. It saves you walking back around the outside of the Vatican walls.

Of course that only works if you're visiting the museums earlier in the day. Late evening it might be too late to do the basilica second.

The Vatican Museums have several world class collections, plus the Sistine Chapel. It's almost impossible to see all of it in one day. I've been there at least four times, maybe five, and I still haven't seen all I'd like to see. However, it's so unpleasantly crowded that I will never go back in high season unless on an evening visit. I would not try to visit the Basilica and the Museums on the same day. (You may have the stamina for it; I don't.)

I highly recommend the Egyptian collection and the Etruscan Collection at the Vatican Museums. They are in a part of the Museum that is rarely crowded.

There are many wonderful museums, archaeological sites, and churches in Rome. What periods of art interest you most?

For museums, here are a few of my favourites.
The Capitoline Museums, above the Roman Forum. Excellent collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture, including the Capitoline Venus. Some of my other favourites are The Dying Gaul (wounded in battle) and Lo Spinario (boy removing a thorn from his foot).

The Barberini Gallery, near Trevi Fountain, and its sister museum, the Corsini Gallery, in Trastevere. The same ticket, good for several days, gets you into both. World-class collections of paintings, from the late middle ages to early modern times, concentrating on the Italian Renaissance.

Palazzo Massimo alle Terme. Ancient Greek and Roman sculpture, plus ancient mosaics, the frescoes from the summer house of Livia, the wife of Augustus.

Galleria Doria Pamphili, near the Pantheon, a Renaissance palace, still owned and partially inhabited by descendants of the powerful Doria Pamphili family. The palace Is beautifully furnished in period style, and the family's art collection is displayed on the walls in Renaissance style, covering nearly every inch of wall

Villa Farnesina, in Trastevere, very near the Corsini Gallery, the country villa of another famous Renaissance family, the Farnese. Set in a beautiful garden, with richly frescoed walls, including some by Raphael.

I'll mention the archaeological sites and churches in another post.
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Nick that door is no longer open - it's necessary to exit and walk around the walls to get to the basilica

Thanks, Traveller_Nick, Bvlenchi, Seamus for the suggestions.
The Duomo in Florence shows 3 different passes ,do we need
to purchase each separately. Is it worth going to Pisa from Florence?
We are not climbing the Tower, just the Cathedral.

The most expensive pass includes everything in the other two. It's like this:

1. A
2. A+B
3. A+B+C

Just buy the pass that includes what you'd like to see. The passes are good for more than one day, because it would be difficult to see everything in one day.

I highly recommend the museum. It has a lot of the artwork that used to be in the Duomo, plus the original of the famous door of the Baptistery called the "Gate of Heaven", plus a full-size reproduction of the old façade of the Duomo with the original statues in their proper places, plus an interesting exhibit about the construction of the cupola. It's one of the great over-looked gems of Florence. It's worth going there just to see Donatello's statue of Mary Magdalene.


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In an earlier post, I mentioned above a few of my favourite museums in Rome. There are really quite a few more, some more focused on modern and contemporary art, and some on history rather than art. If you tell us a bit about your interests, we can help.

In this post, I'll mention some of my favourite churches. It's hard to make a complete list, and it would be very long, so I'll give a very brief description.

Papal basilicas (all enormous and richly decorated)
Saint John Lateran, not St. Peter's Basilica is the Cathedral of Rome. It's the oldest papal basilica, rebuilt several times, now mostly in Baroque style.

Saint Peter's Basilica, built near the place where St. Peter was crucified, over what is believed to have been his tomb. You can tour this ancient necropolis, known as "the Scavi (excavation) tour". Inside is Michelangelo's Pietà and other artistic masterpieces.

Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the oldest basilicas, with beautiful golden mosaics.

Saint Paul outside the Wall, built in ancient times near the spot where St. Paul was beheaded. Rebuilt several times, but still maintaining much of its ancient appearance.

Other basilicas

The Pantheon, one of the best-preserved ancient building in Rome. Originally a temple to all the Roman gods, it's now a Christian basilica. Its dome is an incredible work of Roman engineering. It's still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. The large opening (oculus, or eye) in the top of the dome is the only natural light.

Santa Sabina all'Aventino, ancient basilica, not much changed since Roman times. An ancient fresco over the main door shows a Jewish woman and a Greek woman, representing the two ancient branches of Christianity. There is also a very rare carved wooden door showing scenes from the Bible.

San Pietro in Vincoli, inside is Michelangelo's statue of MosesSanta Maria in Trastevere, another ancient basilica, with spectacular gold mosaics.
Santa Maria sopra Minerva, near the Pantheon, with a beautiful Gothic interior. It's the only Gothic church in Rome, although it doesn't look like much from the outside.

Santa Maria in Cosmedin, a Greek Catholic church, with a fascinating 8th century interior. The ancient manhole cover known as the Bocca della Verità (mouth of truth) is in an outside portico. It's a shame so few of the truth-seekers visit the interior, which is very interesting, and where you can also see the relic of the skull of St. Valentine.

Santa Maria in Aracoeli, on the Capitoline Hill, very ancient church, reached by the famous Aracoeli staircase, remodeled inside in medieval style, 8th century icon of St. Mary.

Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, near Termini station, built inside a hall of the ancient Roman bath (Terme) which gave its name to Termini station. Michelangelo was the architect who designed the conversion to a church. Inside there is an oculus like the one in the Pantheon, covered by a glass dome to keep the worshippers dry when it rains. Also a very interesting meridian line, which was once used to determine the exact hour of noon, at which time the bells were rung so Romans could calibrate their timepieces.

Sant'Agnese Fuori le Mura, ancient church dedicated to Saint Agnes, who was martyred at age 12 because she refused a betrothal to the son of a Roman official. Her foster sister was also killed because she refused to stop visiting and praying at the tomb of Agnes. Both are buried together in the catacomb of St. Agnes, which grew up around the burial site. Adjacent there was once a large Basilica built by the Emperor Constantine to honor St. Agnes. You can see the ruins of the basilica, although you can't visit it. Constantine's daughter, Constantina, had a large Mausoleum built as her future burial place. However, she died away from Rome, so was never buried there. The Mausoleum is now a church known as Santa Costanza, although she is not officially a saint. The original 4th century mosaics in the vault are intact. One part shows the scene of an ancient Roman grape harvest.

Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, a very ancient church dedicated to the patron saint of music, and built over what was believed to be her 2nd century home. Beautiful mosaics. There are sometimes tours of the ancient sites under the church, including the domus.

Santa Maria del Popolo, contains many works by artists such as Raphael, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Caravaggio, Pinturicchio, and Donato Bramante.

There are many other spectacular churches in Rome, but I can't list them all.

bvlenci has given you an excellent list of churches. All are worth seeing! Just a few more:

Santa Maria della Vittoria for Bernini's Ecstasy of St. Theresa sculpture, plus the small church is great, very ornate.

S. Prassede for wonderful mosaics (near S. Maria Maggiore).

Basilica di Santa Pudenziana, nearby on Via Urbana, for the oldest Christian mosaics (4th C) in Rome.

Catacombs in Rome

The catacombs were once thought to be built as secret places for Christians to hide and bury their dead. In fact, they were constructed for economic reasons. It was cheaper to excavate multilevel tombs underground in the soft tufa rock than to buy large tracts of land to build conventional tombs.
There are no bodies buried in the catacombs any more. The bodies of martyrs were removed in the early middle ages to protect them from raiders and invading armies. Other bodies were converted into relics, with saints names attached to them with little or no evidence.

Not only Christians were buried in catacombs. Mostly Christians and Jews used them, because they didn't approve of cremation, which was the traditional Roman way of burial. In late Roman times many pagans also stopped cremating, and some were also buried in catacombs.

There are five Christian catacombs and one Jewish catacomb that can be visited, although there are many more in Rome and in other places. One of the catacombs I visited, I think the Priscilla catacomb, had people of all religions buried there, in separate areas, but only the Christian area was open to visitors. Another Jewish catacomb is being prepared for visits, but is still not open.

Three of the Christian catacombs and one Jewish catacomb are located on or near the ancient Appian Way. A number of traditional Roman tombs are also located above ground on this road; the Romans didn't allow burials inside their cities, so roads leading to cities were normally lined with tombs.

All of the catacombs can only be visited on group tours. You go there and sign up for a tour in your language, and wait until there are enough people to form a group for that language. English tours are frequent, because a lot of people speak English as a second language, and would sign up for an English language tour if, for example, there was no option of a Hungarian language tour.

San Callisto is the most frequently visited Christian catacomb. The tour groups are often very large, and you may have to wait a long time to get on a tour. With a large group, strung out along a narrow corridor, you often can't hear the tour guide. I would suggest going to one of the others unless there's something you really want to see at San Callisto.

San Sebastiano is near San Callisto. It doesn't have a lot of particular interest, and doesn't get a lot of visitors. The groups will be small, which is an advantage, but you might wait a while to get a tour. We waited a long time for an Italian-language tour, and eventually agreed to take a Spanish tour, of which we understood about 75%.

Domitilla (not a saint) This is near the ancient Appian Way. We had a very good small group tour here, in English.

Catacomb of Vigna Randanini is the only Jewish catacomb that can be visited. It's on private land, and group reservations must be made. Some historical and archaeological associations, including Underground Rome, sometimes organise visits. If you want to visit, I think the Jewish Museum at the Great Synagogue of Rome would be the best place to ask for information. This is the only one of the six catacombs I haven't seen, but judging from photos, it's very interesting.

The following catacombs are on the opposite (north) side of Rome. In my opinion, they are the most interesting Christian catacombs.

St. Agnes A small catacomb under the Basilica of St. Agnes. (I gave a brief history of St. Agnes in my previous post about the basilicas.) This is the only catacomb built over the tomb of a Christian martyr. We had an excellent small group tour here. Since it's under a church, visiting hours are only outside of service hours.
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Priscilla, also not a saint, is one of the most interesting catacombs. There are several ancient frescoes there, including one which is supposed to be the earliest representation of the Virgin Mary. I've twice been on excellent small group tours here.

Thank you Susan, for adding to the list. I hope others will also contribute. I realized that I forgot: San Luigi dei Francesi, near Piazza Navona, which has three Caravaggio paintings depicting the life and martyrdom of Saint Matthew.

I haven't been to Santa Prudenziana or Santa Prassede, but they're on my list!

Of the churches I mentioned above, the only one I haven't visited is Santa Maria in Aracoeli. Maybe the long staircase has put me off.

I have a real aversion to Santa Maria della Vittoria. It definitely is ornate. My overall impression is of a dark, dank, musty church. The Santa Teresa statue shows excellent workmanship, but Bernini is not my favourite sculptor, and Santa Teresa strikes me as a bit overdone as well.
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My main objection is to what the church represents: a victory of a Catholic army over a Protestant one during the Thirty Years War. A large fresco called "the Victory of the Virgin Mary over Heresy" shows armed angels slaying Protestants and throwing them down into Hell. Not very ecumenical, nor peaceful. (It's also a defamation of the Virgin Mary.) In the spirit of tearing down statues of enslavers, I think someone should cover up that fresco and rename the church.

Speaking of Bernini, I also didn't mention the Borghese Gallery in my list of museums.

bvlenci, we'll agree to feel differently about Vittoria.😀 I don't remember feeling it was musty.

In case you want to do a search, the spelling is Pudenziana.