Visits to museums and archaeological sites can be expensive in Italy, especially if you are in one of the main centres and want to see everything or are touring. However, there are several ways to save money:
In Florence Amici degli Uffizi membership, at €60.00 per year for individual membership, offers free entrance to the Uffizi and other State museums in the city. From September 2010 visitors to Florence will be able to purchase a multiple-venue museum card valid for three days for €50.00. At the time of writing this card will allow entrance to 33 museums, including the Uffizi, the Palazzo Medici Riccardi and the Palazzo Vecchio. Negotiations are still ongoing with diocese-run and University museums. The card will allow reservations and will come with a three-day bus pass.
In Rome the Rome Archaeology Card allows entrance to ten sites including the Colosseum, the Forum, the Baths of Caracalla and the Appia Antica and costs €23.50 or €13.50 for EU citizens aged 18 – 25. The Roma Pass offers transport and free admission to two museums plus discounts on others. There is free admission to the Vatican Museums on the last Sunday of each month.
Venice has a Museum Pass for all civic museums in the city and a card for the museums around St Mark’s Square. The “Museum Card per i Musei di Piazza San Marco” gives you a single ticket for the Palazzo Ducale plus all museums in the Square and one other civic museum. It is available from www.tickitaly.com or from www.veniceconnected.com.
The Milano card offers 24 or 72 hours of free public transport and discounts on museum entry. It is available from www.milano24ore.net and includes discounts at various restaurants and entertainment venues around the city.
In Verona the Veronacard, available at museums, monuments, churches, tobacconists and the IAT Tourist Centre in the city, will allow you to travel free on city buses and give you free entrance to museums and monuments within the city. A one-day card costs €10.00 and a three-day card €15.00. You can find more information here.
The Campania artecard allows you to choose your own itinerary and there are three or seven-day versions. There is also a 365-day Campania artecard for €40. This gives you free or discounted entry to all archaeological sites in Naples and Campania and to various museums. The cards are available from the infopoint at Naples Central Station. There is more information here.
In addition many cities in Italy run hop-on, hop-off bus tours and tickets usually include discounted entrance to museums and discount vouchers for restaurants. These tours are excellent for getting the “feel” of a city. It is a good idea to stay on the bus for the full tour the first time round so that you can decide where you want to stop off on the next circuit.
It is always worth checking with your tour operator if they offer museum cards or discounts and you can usually book museum or archaeological site tickets online. This could save you both money and hours of queuing, especially for major exhibitions. Admission to many museums is free for EU citizens aged under 18 or over 65 but you will need a proof of identity. And please remember that most museums in Italy are closed on Mondays!
