Okay - we leave for Europe tomorrow and I still have not received a ticket confirmation to the two e-mails I sent. I tried to call the Scavi office this morning, but the guy didn't speak enough English and said we had a bad phone connection. UGH! I e-mailed an Italian friend of mine and he called the office for me. This is what I learned. "To access the place you need to ask the permission in writing one month ahead. You will then go through a background check and permission will be either granted or denied. You will then receive a formal letter from the Vatican indicating the date when they've booked your visit." So I guess we're SOL. Wish I would've taken a more aggressive approach and not waited until the last minute to follow-up. However, there will be someone at home monitoring the e-mails, so there is some glimmer of hope. We won't be in Rome until Sept. 19. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. And if it doesn't work this time, I'll just have to return.

Don't know if this still holds - but we did it a couple of years go and had to have our passports with us - for identity/security purposes.

A couple scheduled for our tour was turned away because they had no ID (the office wanted their real passports - but these guys had NOTHING - not even a copy or a picture drivers lic or anything).

I'm still going to try to get on a tour once we're there. I'll remember to take our passports just in case. OH,how I hope this works out.

Miracles happen!!! Just 2 days before we were to be in Rome, my daughter e-mailed me while we were in Vernazza to let me know we received our confirmation for the Scavi tour. We were scheduled for a Wed. 3:00 p.m. tour, which worked out perfectly because we had already arranged a tour of the Coloseum and the Roman Forum for Tuesday. I was afraid there would have been a conflict. The Scavi Tour is simply goose-pimply amazing! It was the one of the highlights of our trip. However, we weren't able to spend as much time at the Basilica and the Sistene Chapel as we would have liked, but we will return - we tossed our coins into the Trevi Fountain! P.S. - I would recommend using the fax request option as opposed to the e-mail option -- the response may be quicker.

jill - So glad to hear you did get to do the tour. I have read sooo many people say that they waited and waited with no response!! Guess I must be one of the lucky folks, because, I received my conformation just 12 days after my intial request!! Just 21 days until my tour!!! I am so stoked!!!

Tom

Thank you for the fax recommendation. This is something I am planning to do in the next week, so great timing! Now I'm going to have to figure out the fax software for the computer again....

I also found them to be very slow in confirming me, but not so slow in taking my money once they did!

On my trip there, a very annoying thing happened. If you've been, you know you go in small groups by language (the English speaking group is usually led by someone who barely speaks English in my two experiences). You also know that the tour is through caves almost. And you may know that in the summer it is still hot even though you are underground.

In my group, there were apparently two families with children ranging in age. We go down the stairs and into the area where everyone has to crowd together so the doors can be closed. It is tight for sure.

We start hearing discussions like "is it going to be this way the whole way" and "how long is this" and things like that. Someone is obviously a bit freaked by the close quarters. So they tell the guide this and then take 10 freaking minutes to decide who is going to go and who is staying. MAKE UP YOUR MIND PEOPLE!

So they do, but before those that leave depart one of them asks the guide if the catacombs are like this.

1. Do some freaking research about what you will see and do.
2. Rude Americans! Ok, don't glom onto that one...but it was very rude.

Got my reply in 12 days, so perhaps it's improving.

What is the e-mail address for scavi reservations please?

Thanks

The e-mail address that I used was: [email protected]

Tracy

We went two weeks ago, and our guide spoke perfect English and was quite informative.

Although I have never replied to a post before, I thought it might be helpful to share my experience...I am going to Rome during the dates of November 2nd-5th, a requested a Scavi Tour reservation back in Sept. I sent two follow up e-mails (I apologized in the e-mail for asking for a status report when I know so many people are requesting the same tour). My story has a happy ending - I rec'd an e-mail last week with a confirmation resrevation number. I e-mailed back my credit card number to charge, and my card was charged last week.

Hope it works out for you!!!

I just sent in a request for a late January reservation. Got the autoreply within minutes.

Though I specified January in the email, the reply says:

****The Excavations Office therefore regrets to inform you that reservations for visits during the <u>month of October</u> are all complete. We are sorry to not be able to fulfill your desire to visit the excavations during this month. Only if there are cancellations will we make new reservations for the <u>month of October</u>.***

Is there some trick I missed? Am I supposed to mention &quot;January&quot; in the subject line? All I wrote was that we were 2 persons (gave names), English, and the 3 days we will be in Rome. I used the address: [email protected]

Thanks for any tips.

Hi Jeanne,
make sure you mention the month in <b> words </b> not in numbers in your date. For example, write:
10 January 2006
and not 1/10/2006

Am not sure that helps, but do try again.
Good luck

Yes, I wrote the word &quot;January&quot; and gave them the 3 days we will be in Rome.

I wrote again using the email address on their official site. This time I put January in the subject line.

We'll see.
Thx

Update:
It's now been over 12 hrs since my 2nd email and I haven't even gotten an auro-response. Frustrating, indeed.

I guess I'll wait til Monday and try again. Maybe send it from another email address.

JeanneB, If you look further up on this thread, you will see that it took ten days for me to receive the automated response, so it doesn't mean you won't get it.

Thanks for the clarification.

I thought it was one of those automatic &quot;We have received your inquiry and we will respond within x days&quot; things.

It really is frustrating, isn't it. Especially after the misunderstanding of my first inquiry.

JeanneB, Yes, it is frustrating, but totally worth it!

be patient, dont give up hope.I agree, it was one of the best experiences of my life. Italy is what it is ..one must accept that.I would try to get tickets under a partners name and be sure to leave a wide opening for better results...