WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>Jail friends on these weeks travel update. I'm talking about

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<v Speaker 1>the current ticketing drama at the Coliseum. There are reports

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<v Speaker 1>of people being turned away at the gate of the

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<v Speaker 1>Colisseum because their third party tickets are not being accepted.

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<v Speaker 1>I want to tell you what's going on, who is affected,

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<v Speaker 1>and what to do if you are not sure, and

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<v Speaker 1>what to do if you are not sure that your

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<v Speaker 1>tickets are valid. I'm Katie, founder of Untold Italy, and

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<v Speaker 1>we are here to help you open the door to

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<v Speaker 1>your Italy. So here's what has been happening. Some visitors

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<v Speaker 1>have been turned away at the Colisseum because the tickets

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<v Speaker 1>that they bought through third party sites like get your

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<v Speaker 1>Guide and Viator were not accepted at the gate. And

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<v Speaker 1>there needs to be some background here because there has

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<v Speaker 1>been an ongoing problem with ticketing at major sites across

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<v Speaker 1>Italy and all of Europe. Actually, some operators were buying

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<v Speaker 1>tickets in bulk using bots and reselling them at much

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<v Speaker 1>higher prices. So what the Colisseum did was it tightened

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<v Speaker 1>its rules and it now works with a list of

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<v Speaker 1>authorized resellers that are listed on its website. So Get

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<v Speaker 1>your Guide and Viator are on that list. But you

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<v Speaker 1>have to know that they are marketplaces that on sell

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<v Speaker 1>other companies' products, and some of those underlying operators are

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<v Speaker 1>not authorized. My understanding is that both platforms are moving

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<v Speaker 1>to remove those operators from their listings, as you'd expect.

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<v Speaker 1>The Colosseum has also mandated that the tickets are non

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<v Speaker 1>transferable and must include the visitors full name. If the

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<v Speaker 1>name does not match your ID when you go to

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<v Speaker 1>enter the Colisseum, you won't get in. So there's no

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<v Speaker 1>exceptions or no refunds. If your operator has not asked

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<v Speaker 1>for your name, that's a red flag. If you have

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<v Speaker 1>already purchased tickets and are worried, here's what I suggest.

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<v Speaker 1>Check the cancelation policy first, because get your guide and

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<v Speaker 1>via to listings can usually be canceled up to twenty

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<v Speaker 1>four hours in advance with no penalty. Once you know this,

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<v Speaker 1>you can go in search of other options, but don't

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<v Speaker 1>cancel those tickets until you have of other tickets confirmed.

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<v Speaker 1>This advice applies to anyone who hasn't yet bought their

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<v Speaker 1>tickets also, so the official Colisseum website is the cheapest

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<v Speaker 1>option to buy tickets and the direct tours, though the

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<v Speaker 1>tours are quite largely around twenty five to thirty people

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<v Speaker 1>in their actual tours. But that site is a little

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<v Speaker 1>bit problematic and it's often unavailable, and as an example,

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<v Speaker 1>it was down for three hours for me yesterday when

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<v Speaker 1>I was trying to use it. Like I said, this

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<v Speaker 1>is not unusual, so patience is required. If you want

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<v Speaker 1>a tour that's for a smaller group than those larger

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<v Speaker 1>official tours, or a private tour, we'd recommend to Live

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<v Speaker 1>Tours who offer our listeners five percent off with code

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<v Speaker 1>Untold Italy, and another great option is Walks of Italy.

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<v Speaker 1>Both are on the approved list for admission only with

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<v Speaker 1>an audio guide. Tickets is also approved and straightforward. I've

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<v Speaker 1>put all these links in the app show notes, so

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<v Speaker 1>you've got somewhere to go straight away if you want

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<v Speaker 1>to get that sorted. Now, here's the thing I actually

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<v Speaker 1>want to say. Going inside the Colosseum is great if

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<v Speaker 1>you love ancient history and you've got a real affinity

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<v Speaker 1>with the site, But it's not compulsory. And I know

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<v Speaker 1>that sounds like heresy because everyone thinks that's what you've

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<v Speaker 1>got to do when you go to Rome is go

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<v Speaker 1>to the Colosseum. But the reality is that it is

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<v Speaker 1>very hot, especially at this time of year. It's hot inside,

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<v Speaker 1>it's crowded, and unless you have a guide that has

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<v Speaker 1>arena flow access, you're mostly walking around the site and

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<v Speaker 1>the crowded corridors trying to get a photo without three

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<v Speaker 1>thousand people in it. So if you're genuinely passionate about

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<v Speaker 1>ancient Rome and the Colosseum, and you are able to

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<v Speaker 1>book a guided tours for someone like walks of visually

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<v Speaker 1>or live tours, you should definitely do that. It's absolutely

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<v Speaker 1>worth doing properly and you won't regret it. But if

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<v Speaker 1>you are going to the Colisseum because everyone goes, and

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<v Speaker 1>you think that's what you should do, then just be

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<v Speaker 1>aware that it can be a costly and less than

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<v Speaker 1>optimal weight to se been half a day in Rome.

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<v Speaker 1>There are other places that will give you a deeper

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<v Speaker 1>sense of the ancient city with far fewer people at

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<v Speaker 1>a much lower cost. An example or a few examples

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<v Speaker 1>are that the via Appia Antika with its massive cobblestones

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<v Speaker 1>and ancient tombs, the Bars for Caracalla, which is one

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<v Speaker 1>of my favorite working archaeological sites in the city, and

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<v Speaker 1>the Palazzo Massimo Museum near Roma, Termany, which has some

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<v Speaker 1>of the finest sculpture and frescoes in the world, and

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<v Speaker 1>it is never busy, that is my honest take. If

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<v Speaker 1>you feel like you might prefer to get some photos

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<v Speaker 1>outside the coliseum and explore the eternal city in a

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<v Speaker 1>different way that suits you better, you do you this

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<v Speaker 1>is your trip and you really could spend years exploring

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<v Speaker 1>everything to see in Rome. You're going to miss out

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<v Speaker 1>on some things, so just make sure that what you

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<v Speaker 1>do want to see and do is built into your

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<v Speaker 1>time there and you won't regret it. I will continue

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<v Speaker 1>to keep you posted here, but if you have any

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<v Speaker 1>questions send me a message to Chao at untold Italy

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<v Speaker 1>dot com. Choo for now,