CBH

We are flying into Rome on the 14th and we take off for Tuscany on the morning of the 17th. August 15th is the Feast of the Assumption. The several guide books I have seem to all say different things. Some say everything closes, some say only restaurants and shops. This was the day we were planning on doing the Vatican and St. Peter's in the morning and then the Forum in the afternoon. Does anybody know if any tourist sights will be open that day?

victoria_reynolds

The Vatican will almost certainly be closed; check their schedule for specificcs. The Forum is an open area that you walk through --nothing to close, but the Colosseum may be another story. It is an important feast day and many places will be observing it by closing that day.

TexasAggie

Actually there are gates that shut off the Forum at night and on state holidays. You can still see it of course but you can't walk through it. I'm sure about 8-15 specifically

LoveItaly

Hi CBH, I was just talking to a friend in Australia that mentioned the last time they came to the USA they had no idea about our Labor Day weekend, the traffic etc. Holidays in different countries are so easy to not be aware of when planning a trip.

Can you see the Vatican, St. Peters, the Forum etc. on August 16th..and take August 15th to walk around Rome, it is such a beautiful city to just walk in. I have not been in Rome in August but even on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday I have not had a problem finding restaurants that were open etc. Best regards.

TexasAggie

Fabulous advice from LoveItaly. Rome is a wonderful city for walking. You can spend an entire day getting a feel for the many layers of history... from the ancient Roman ruins (you can walk all around the Colosseum, Circus Maximus, Forum, Theatre of Marcellus, etc.) to the Medieval (Castel San Angelo) to the Renaissance to Baroque...
and you never know when you will come upon a small and charming piazza with a lovely fountain or a stunning church.

Now I am dying to go back to Rome even more!!

victoria_reynolds

CBH--

I checked and the Vatican Museums WILL be closed BOTH days as will many other museums and sites. (See the site below for the Vatican: http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-In...fo_Orario.html (You will be able to attend Mass at one of any number of beautiful churches --possibly one of the main basilicas like St. Peter's if you would like to.) I guess you'll want to concentrate on the soaking up the atmosphere walk as suggested.

Girlspytravel

CBH-the holiday is called "FERRAGOSTO" in Italian, and pretty much everything is closed, museums, churches- except for mass, and most restaurants. Public transportation will be running on a reduced schedule. There will be some restaurants open, but you need to look for places the night before where you can buy drinks and snacks and have those with you, as it might be difficult to find things open once you start walking around.

CBH

I just discovered that the Borghese will be open along with many other tourist sites, so it doesn't look like everythink will be closed. We have reservations at the Borghese that morning!