Want to see Birth of Venus in Florence, Italy. We are headed to Rome Sept. 08., Any suggestions?

Question

My life long dream is to see my favorite painting, "The Birth of Venus". The painting is located in Florence, Italy and my family and I are headed to Rome at the beginning of Sept. for a few days. I have never been to Italy and know no Italian. Will I be okay taking a train to Florence from Rome? What about getting to the Musuem from the train station? Any safety issues? Any definite words I should know in Italian?

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Rome is so so wonderful!!!

Trains no problems

Most of the station staff are used to tourist`s

Rome lots to see there!!!

Go to the old city its nice the Colosseum its a must

Rome has a lot to do you need more than a day to look around and take it in

also post a letter when you at the Vatican its a special post mark!!!

The statue of david is open only on certain days!!

You as a woman cannot go in the vatican if your shoulders are showing or a short skirt on no matter how hot it is!!!

I hope it helps

Answer 2

Botticelli's Birth of Venus and his Allegory of Spring are in the Uffizi Gallery, they are breathtakingly beautiful, each filling up a whole wall, I was surprised how huge they were. Try and buy a ticket to the Uffizi before you go either through a travel agent or the internet as the queues to gain entry are loooong. Firenze railway is within the city, bit of a walk or there are lots of buses. Train ES Italia fast train between all the major Italian cities  buy your tickets here in Melbourne before you go web site attached, Italian trains are a delight to travel in, big windows, often a buffet available, wonderful way to see Italy and safe, althought I would not travel on trains at night time by myself. Safety is always an issue anywhere in the world, travle safe, dont wear flashy jewellery, keep your passport, money, credit cards on  you and I mean on you, around your neck tucked in under your clothes. Learn some Italian, greetings, thank you,  simple sentences - how much - it will be so appreciated, often English is spoken in the bigger cities but often not. it is good for you and good for the Italians.  Buy a book on Italy, Lonely Planet, Frommers etc, these will give you all the info you need and more.  Have a great time enjoy, Italy is wonderful, once bitten you will want more!!

Answer 3

Yes--you should be O.K.  I've traveled extensively in Europe without knowing much Italian.  You should be able to make a roundtrip in a day, but it would be preferable to stay overnight and see some of Florence.

First step is to buy a good guidebook--Fodor's would be the best for this, as it has good maps and walking tours and other info, especially on hours of opening and closing the museum, as you want to make sure it will be open when you get there.  

Use the first link below to buy your ticket to the Uffizi (the Museum in which the painting is hung) in advance so you don't have to wait and are sure that you will be able to get in--that's probably the best for you, although it may be more expensive than walking up.  If you are willing to make a trip from Rome to see something, then you should be willing to pay a little extra to make sure you do get to see it and spend as little time as possible waiting to get in.

Then use the second link below to buy your train tickets and reserve your seat to Florence and back.  That way, you can coordinate your journey and ensure you have seats on the train and a ticket to the museum.

The train to Florence leaves from Termini station in Rome and arrives at Stazione Santa Maria Novella in Florence.  Get to Florence as early as possible as the Uffizi--where the painting is-- is VERY crowded and there are long lines. Or stay overnight the night before your visit to the museum, as Florence is really fun at night--lots of people walking around, good restaurants and cafes, and you can familiarize yourself with the way to the Museum.  

You can walk from the Florence train station to the Uffizi --it's a fifteen or so minute walk.  Walking is  the best way to get there as traffic in the city center is pretty limited and jammed, and you will walk past  the Duomo and Baptistry and other things in Florence you'll want to see on the way.  You sound young and that walk shouldn't be any problem for you, particularly if you don't have any baggage, or if you only have your overnight stuff in a backpack.

I don't think there should be any safety issues.  Lots of English speakers in Florence, as there are lots of art schools there.  Be careful, as everywhere, of the "too friendly stranger."

"Grazie" ("Thank You") is  a word you should definitely know.

"A stazione?"  "Al Museo Uffizi?"  Are questions you can ask--to the station?  To the Uffizi Museum? (That is, am I walking in the direction of the station or the Uffizi?) But Florence is very compact and there are a lot of American students there you can ask.

Allow some time--90 minutes to two hours-- to see the rest of the museum, as there are lots of very famous paintings in it.  So what I would do is to go first thing in the morning, proceed directly to the Botticellis before crowds get there, then circle back to see the other stuff.

Have a great time, and enjoy your adventure.

Answer 4

Enjoy every moment regardless of what yer doing. Observe everysituation and understand it, even if you dont speack italian. Accept the way we are, (we have no customer service like usa), try different foods....its going to be a whole new experience. meet other people and try to talk to italians that dont speack english!Under no circumstances sleep in the train stations... pay some more euros but be safe!practice caution , specially in tourist infested areas such as roma and firenze.. the metro etc..

Buona fortuna!!!

Answer 5

Uffizi Galley is closed Mondays. Also, it is much better to buy tickets in advance on line -- you may not get in if you wait on line there.

The Gallery is walking distance form train. 10 minutes.

The most important words are per favore (please) and grazie (thank you) Bon Giorno, -- Good Morning, --Bona Sera -- Good Afternoon.  Also don't say Ciao to people you don't know, that is for friends. "Dove" means where is --

Rough Guides has a good phrase book -- if you want to attempt  some Italian.