Pompeii: Sunday or Monday

[TMLAalum]

For our 2 pre-cruise days in Rome, we plan on spending one in Pompeii and the other visiting the major churches we missed on our last visit.

Originally I was thinking we would visit the churches on Sunday and hopefully include a Papal Mass at the Vatican if Benedict is there. But I'm having 2nd thoughts about this because Mass schedules will limit our visits to other churches to afternoon only.

 

Is Pompeii more crowded on a Sunday? Perhaps the train would be less crowded that day?

 

Opinions? Advice? Grazie!

[cruisemom42]

Many things in Rome are closed on Mondays (although not the Vatican museum, which is closed Sundays). If you want to pick a day to see Pompeii, I'd pick Monday.

 

As to crowds at Pompeii, I'd check the cruise timetables website http://www.cruisett.com to see how many ships are in port on both days. That may make more of a difference than anything else.

[ksps cruise fan]

For our 2 pre-cruise days in Rome, we plan on spending one in Pompeii and the other visiting the major churches we missed on our last visit.

Originally I was thinking we would visit the churches on Sunday and hopefully include a Papal Mass at the Vatican if Benedict is there. But I'm having 2nd thoughts about this because Mass schedules will limit our visits to other churches to afternoon only.

 

Is Pompeii more crowded on a Sunday? Perhaps the train would be less crowded that day?

 

Opinions? Advice? Grazie!

 

Actually, Sunday presents lots of challenges when visiting churches. What I'm about to write may not apply to all churches, but here are some things to think about.

 

o Churches are typically closed for several hours at mid-day, but on Sunday these restrictions are often expanded to include visits during services.

 

o If the church is grand enough to include large side chapels, services may be held in these and visitors will have normal access to the nave and main altar. However, in a church in which the only area for services is the main nave, visitors are typically restricted to standing quietly at the back. You probably won't be allowed to see a specific chapel farther up the nave or near the altar.

 

Finally, you don't mention the dates of your trip. I'll never forget the crowds at many of the places we visited, including sites outside of Rome like Herculenaum, because our visit overlapped Rome's birthday (April 21). As part of the birthday festivities, admission to all national sites is free for a week and crowds of Italians swell the crowds of tourists. Normal planning factors become irrelevent.