Sometimes, guidebook research doesn’t feel like work at all. A sunny day spent tooling around Lake Como, touring sumptuous villas and sprawling gardens? That’s not work.
But on one particular day in Milan, I really had to work. I packed about three days of sightseeing into one very busy day. It was interesting, and fun at times, but exhausting. Especially this exchange.
I walked into the ticket office for Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. Spaces are severely limited, and reservations are mandatory — and book up weeks in advance. We devote nearly an entire page in our Rick Steves Italy guidebook to explaining this system, and I needed to confirm everything with the woman at the information desk.
She greeted me with a permanent snarl, close-cropped, dyed-blonde hair, and steely, cruel eyes. Before I opened my mouth, she didn’t like me. (I don’t take it personally. She doesn’t like anyone.)
After I explained I was updating a book, she allowed me to continue talking, which is probably her version of tacit approval. Here are some highlights of our actual conversation. (I am not making this up.)
“So, we explain here in our guidebook that you need a reservation.”
“Yes, that’s correct. You can call or go on our website.”
“And we say that you can make a reservation three months ahead.”
“On our website, you can reserve three months ahead. At our call center, you can reserve, maybe, ten days ahead.”
“So tickets are available online three months before, but by phone only ten days before?”
“Well, you can get tickets anytime you want.”
“Yes, but if someone wants to book very early, they can try three months before?”
“On our website.”
“Not by calling?”
“No! Of course, they can get a ticket by calling. Ten days before.”
“So by phone, tickets are only available ten days before?”
“It depends.”
“Well, we say here you can start trying to get a ticket three months before. More or less. Is that about right?”
“Yes.”
“Online and by telephone?”
“Yes.”
Phew. “OK, so we also explain that if you don’t have a reservation and really want to see The Last Supper, you can try to come on the same day to see if there are any cancellations.”
“No! Not possible.”
“Oh, so you…”
“Reservations are mandatory!” [Holds up sign that says “Reservations are mandatory”.]
“Yes, I understand that. What I’m saying is, let’s say someone did not make a reservation. And now they are in Milan and they really want to see The Last Supper. We say that sometimes there may be a few cancellations…”
“No! You must reserve.” [Eyes me suspiciously.] “Huh. Do you write in your book that you don’t need a reservation?”
“Oh, no, we do explain that very carefully!” [I show her several paragraphs in the book explaining that reservations are mandatory.]
“But you write in your book that you do not need a reservation!”
“No, we don’t say that. We say that in case you do not have one, sometimes it’s possible…”
“It’s never possible!” [She’s really starting to blow up now.] “People come here, all day, and complain to me because they do not have a reservation! And you are telling them to do this in your book!”
“But I…no, wait, look. It’s the opposite. You see, I’m trying to help people understand how this works. I want to make it very clear so people are not disappointed.”
“Huh.”
“So if you can help me now for five minutes, I can try to make sure it’s very clear in our book, so those people won’t bother you anymore — so they will understand how it works.”
“I don’t care!”
“You don’t care? You mean you don’t care if people are disappointed?”
“No! I don’t care. People come here all day and are disappointed anyway, so what does it matter what you say in your book?”
“Yes, but I’m trying to reduce the number of…” [I decide to give up on that point.] “OK, sorry, I’m almost done. I just want to confirm that it is not possible to buy tickets on the same day.”
“No, it’s impossible!”
“So you never have any cancellations and tickets that are available last minute?”
“No! Well, maybe one or two tickets each day. But almost none! It’s very difficult. You must take this out of your book!”
“OK, I’ll take that out, if you say it’s not possible.”
“Yes, not possible.” [Mutters to herself.] “I don’t know why you tell people in your book they don’t need a reservation…”
“OK, well, thanks for your help. By the way, I know this is very unlikely, but do you maybe have any tickets available for today?”
“You want one ticket?”
“Yes.”
[Checks computer] “OK, we have a reservation available for 5:15.”
By the way, The Last Supper was magnificent…well worth the painful conversation.
Sometimes, travel is the most memorable when good trips go bad. This post is part of a series called “Jams Are Fun,” in honor of my wife’s Great-Aunt Mildred, who recognized that the best stories are often the ones with a little drama.
The series includes an account of the time I was stuck on a cruise ship during a hellacious storm on the North Sea, the time I very nearly ran out of gas on Scotland’s desolate north coast, and the time I went on Sound of Music tours in Salzburg two days in a row…even though I hate The Sound of Music.
Top Ten Jobs If You Love To Travel
(10) Flight attendant
It may be the most obvious travel-related job, but it’s also one of the most accessible: You don’t need a specialized degree to become a flight attendant, and most major airlines only require prior customer service experience and a certification from the Federal Aviation Administration. The hours are frequently erratic, and the work isn’t always easy, but you’ll get a glimpse of hundreds of cities across the globe during your career. A bonus perk? Free or discounted flights for you and your family.
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Working on a cruise ship is a travel lover’s dream gig: You quite literally make a living traveling the world, all while receiving free food and accommodations. Whether you’re a restaurant server, a shop clerk or a performer in the cruise’s entertainment lineup, there are opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds to work on one of these “floating resorts.” Websites like Cruise Line Jobs list employment openings with some of the top-rated cruise lines.
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(5)Archaeologist
Archaeologists travel the world to recover and preserve artifacts from past human cultures. Careers in archaeology require frequent travel, often to remote regions of the earth.
A benefit of speaking one of the world’s most popular languages is that there are people all over the world who want to learn it. Teaching English in a foreign country is one of the easiest ways to get out and see the world. Many teaching positions in foreign countries do require a certification, but you can easily get one in about a month’s time.
(3)Executive assistant
It may not be the most glamorous of jobs, but playing a behind-the-scenes role in the life of a corporate executive or other high-powered professional means you’ll be right alongside your boss on his or her business trips. Since individuals in these positions travel quite frequently for important client meetings, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to see new places while you work.
(2) Oceanographer
If you love traveling by sea and have a passion for learning more about it, then there is probably no better career for you than that of an oceanographer. Oceanographers often split their time between laboratories and research ships, where they can spend months away from home visiting remote regions of the ocean.
(1) International Marriage Broker Tour Leader.
If you love to travel and are single this is absolutely the best job you can imagine. International Marriage Brokers travels the world holding single events in some of the most beautiful places on earth. Each week companies like A Foreign Affair travel to exotic locations in Eastern Europe, Asian and Latin America. Business men and professionals travel in groups where they will attend single events that A Foreign Affair call socials, at these social events the men will meet 500 to 1000 beautiful single women and models. The tours consists of social, dating and site seeing, all while interacting with dozens of men and women falling in love.
I lived in Switzerland in the mid-1970s and spent a great deal of time in Milan. I used to go visit the Last Supper – generally it was just me alone or maybe in the company of some nuns. It was very nice!!
Cameron: Reminds me of Monty Python skit with John Cleese!
Made me read the rest of your Blog. I visited some of these places long ago in 1969! We were thinking about doing the Italy My Way Tour because we like Flea and Farmers Markets. I would like to see some of the historic shopping arcades. Are there any of these that you have enjoyed.
Well done!!!
You’re ready for Call Center work!
Classic it’s like a Monty Python skit.
Defiantly she would do great as IT help desk support!
Cameron, that exchange is too funny, but also too true. Most people in the line of work are. Helpful, but some, like her, are so rude. I am glad you kept your cool.
Congratulations on keeping you cool.
I was reminded of the Abbott and Costello routine: Who’s on first?
btw– I hope you ‘took that out of your book’! (only joking)
I’ve just discovered your entertaining travel blogs thanks to Rick Steves. Your writing is so refreshing…encourages me to read on and on and on. My husband and I travel internationally on a regular basis, so we can definitely connect to your insights and experiences. Great writing — You deserve a raise!
I think you meant “dyed-blonde” rather than “died-blonde” unless of course she was indeed dead. Or if her hair really looked dead (which all hair kinda of is anyway, but some hair can really look like it’s been around the block one too many times). Or the conversation may have actually made you wish you were dead in which case it’s probably a fine choice of words.
That sounds awful! (Though not surprising, sadly). I did, in fact, get a ticket to see The Last Supper by checking to see if there were cancellations at the counter and there were! Keep it in the book!
This is hilarious… And SOOO Italian!!
a great comedy sketch…..made me laugh…… Glad we always found helpful people during our visits to Italy….
This is so funny! It reminds me of my time in Greece back in 1978. We got ferry tickets in Pireus to visit three islands but they only sold one way tickets. The ticket seller said we could buy tickets to get back at the last island kiosk. He said we must get them at the kiosk.
We enjoyed our island hopping and at the last island, we approached the kiosk. It was closed. We began to ask around to find where to get the tickets and one Greek guy shrugged his shoulders and said “on the boat, off the boat, it doesn’t matter.”
When the ferry got there, we got on and sure enough, as the ticket man came around, we explained that we didn’t have tickets and he sold us some on the spot. Too funny!
I miss traveling SO MUCH.
Oh my! I met this woman in Milan! Thank goodness I had reservations! and I did get them the second they were available, 3 months out. But, yes, if you can, go see the Last Supper!
I believe this lady has a twin who works here in the States, for Comcast. I got the same loving care
Cameron, as much prep work as I did, I still left unhappy. Why? Because though the timed entry was understood- I didn’t realize the time was only 15 minutes in the room. And, oh, not really- because if you’re stuck in a group with a tour guide who takes his sweet time gathering his group into the anteroom.. you only get however many minutes were not wasted getting everyone into the anteroom.
My suggestion to those still waiting to see this masterpiece.. book two tickets. One for your first available time, and one for 1/2 hour later. This will allow you to walk through around to the entrance in time for your second viewing.
Grazie mille, Cameron! Great piece!
that was funnier than Who’s on first
My family and I just got back from Italy on August 31st. We booked the 9:30 AM English tour. The group was small and yes, you only get 15 minutes to view the painting, but our guide was great. When booking your ticket, don’t try to maneuver through their unfriendly website. Just call the ticket office on the phone. When we tried the website, it said no tickets were available, but when we called, we had no trouble booking a time and we got confirmation via e-mail almost instantly.
My wife and I booked our trip to Milano and read Ricks book and found out about ordering tickets before hand. We booked tickets through an agency since Last Supper website didn’t work (2007..). We waited for said tickets and got nervous and ordered more tickets through another agency. We waited for those tickets as well. Hmmm, got more nervous since neither set of tickets had come. We contacted the concierge at our hotel and he said he could get us tickets, not to worry. We of course, both sets of tickets arrive two days before our trip and we had another set waiting for us when we arrived. We used one set, and sold another set to an Australian couple in the lobby 10 minutes before the entry time. The third set we didn’t use but hoped that they would have let someone in since we did’t show. I lived in Naples for 4 years and know all too well of the Italian mind set, this is classic. Don’t get angry, smile and shrug because this is the Italian way… Ciao, Gracie Ricardo…
The only time in Italy was not treated with complete warmth was in Milan. I got a cab driver who was having NONE. OF. IT. from me, lol. Milanese women mean business!
After a very long day of very slow traffic from Munich through the Brenner Pass we arrived at the Italian boarder at about 5 pm. My then young son and I went over to the “Welcome Center” in hopes of getting a little direction to our hotel (long before GPS). As we tried to enter the door appeared to be a little jammed. With a little persuasion we entered. An employee came running out of the back yelling at us as loud as he could that they were closed and that we had broken his door…..
Welcome to Italy! Fortunately the rest of the trip went better than this first impression!
We returned from Italy last night after a 12 day trip with familiy members. Three times it was impossible to get a “Yes” or “No.” amswer to a direct question. I think it is the new way to toy with visitors, even if one speaks fluent Italian!
Hello,
I am going to try to call to see if any last minute tickets are available and cannot find the reservations phone number. Would anyone happen to have that available? Thanks!
Your exchange didn’t read as horribly as anticipated from the build-up. Are you fluent in Italian, or was your discussion conducted in English? It sounds to be as if the woman was simply trying to be “by the rules.”
By the way, where’d you get the Last Supper picture? There’s no credit shown, and the staff is very clear that no pictures are allowed (which didn’t stop the spoiled Americans in my group from defying the rules and stealing the image with their iPhones).
Dude: You can Google that image and find it in, like, literal seconds.
Hilarious! Wish I’d read this before we went to Milan. We checked the website every day for tickets, and tickets for the one day we were in Milan didn’t go on sale three months in advance but instead a few weeks later. When they finally posted the date they’d start selling tickets for our date, I went online first thing in the morning that day, and already no tickets were available. We didn’t go there in person to try for a cancellation because we had such limited time, and it would have meant skipping something else. We did see a nice “other” Last Supper in a small church (San Lorenzo, I think). No crowds, no time limit.
Ha! We were there last summer, without tickets so we showed up at 7:45am and asked if they had any tickets and got in to see it at 3:15 that day! So thankful we did try! It was magnificent!!!
Actually, I thought it was pretty obvious that she didn’t want you to suggest in any way that it was possible to show up the day of for a ticket. Also, pretty obvious that telephone reservations are taken up to 10 days ahead and web reservations up to 3 months ahead. Can you imagine how many people cajole and bully her every day? I can. I love you and your work, Mr. Steves. But I don’t get the dilemma here.
We went to view The Last Supper last week (yes, we had a reservation) and I’m sure this was the woman who gave me our tickets. She was scary!
To answer Denise, who doesn’t see the delimma, the woman at the counter was incorrect in saying that you can only buy tickets 10 days in advance. I bought mine over the phone about 25 days in advance. She responded “Bol and “it depends” to Cameron’s question about when to call for tickets. The ticket woman was purposefully being difficult and uninformative.
I think I encountered this woman in May. We went without printing the receipt that was emailed, so she sent me off to search my cellphone for the email. While I was doing this, my clever mother went to another ticket woman and asked the same question and was told that we didn’t need it! We went in and saw the amazing art without or ther issue. In Italy, persistence overcomes.
I think her sister works at the Galleria Borghese in Rome. Same temperament, anyway.
This woman’s sister works at the Trentalia counter at the Naples central train station. Hostile was the only word to explain her behavior. Sparing all the details, but after 4 tries with other agents, we finally got someone to politely provide the information needed. Note the other agents were helpful, just didn’t know how to explain.
Not particularly helpful, but also not evil, just someone tired of answering the same questions everyday.
am i the first to point out that you only got in by making a reservation?
Hilarious! Glad we saw it in 1996…and I don’t recall needing reservations. I do remember that while waiting in the entrance line my water bottle leaked and throughly soaked my Rick Steves “Italy in 22 Days” guidebook.
Well, two friends and I had booked our September trip to Northern Italy in early spring 2018…..only two days in Milan to begin with and one partial day at the end of the trip. I had already done some research and knew that reservations were required….and even sent a message and got a response that, for our time frame, tickets online would only become available in June or July (July, I think?). We were so wrapped up with trying to get train tickets booked, hotels booked, etc. that we literally “forgot” to try to book tickets for The Last Supper for our available dates in September until mid-August. I went online again only to find that nothing was available until late November. One of my traveling companions and I both continued to research and somehow (magically) came up with ONE time slot (9:30AM) on our last day in Milan before leaving for Lake Como….but it required a “Walking Tour” of Historic Milan……and the Cost was something like $80 Euros. It was our ONLY way to see The Last Supper…..a bucket list items for the 3 of us. We bought out “Walking Tour” tickets online and, amazingly, all went well….and we DID see “The Last Supper”, had a great guide…..mission accomplished. I was very surprised that we, on this tour, were allowed to stay in the room with The Last Supper for about 35 minutes or so!!!! Also, there were no huge crowds outside waiting to enter nor were there lots of people milling about outside for any other reason.
That was similar to our experience in 2015,
during the Expo. We loved the Last Supper Milano walking tour; very informative and professional. And the Last Supper visit was wonderful, with a late afternoon entry and not too crowded (everyone virtually ignored Giovanni Fonato’s Crucifixtiin, with daVinci embellishments, in the opposite wall, to their loss).
Hmm, I think I met this woman’s evil twin at the Green Vault in Dresden last November. I stood in front of her kiosk for a full 10 minutes before she looked up from her computer and appeared to be surprised to see me standing there. Our conversation was similar to your encounter. I showed up the next day when the ticket office opened when someone else was there. However, do not miss the green vault including the upstairs. Well worth your time, despite the grumpy, rude ticket sellers.
how much more complicated do you want your guidebooks to be? You are NOT the one who gets that one ticket for 5:15 because thousands have tried before you. If travelers could only realize that where they are and what they do is repeated a million times each day. Move along folks, there are others who would like to see the attractions.
Oh Cameron! Having spent hours trying to get a reservation via the website, I spent several 1:00 am mornings (from Vancouver home) trying to get through on the phone. It finally worked, I saw the beautiful Last Supper thanks to those detailed RS guidebook instructions and I not only feel but appreciate your pain! I love travel in Italy partly because of the hilarious stories I bring home…like yours!!
When we visited Milan, we followed the instructions in Rick Steves’ book to the letter, and were successful in securing a ticket to see The Last Supper. Thank you for this. Without your books, who knows how our Italian travels might have turned out! We did find it quite challenging to obtain tickets for a tour of the Collosseum when we were in Rome. They were only obtainable by phone at that time, and so we had to figure out how to make a call using a US cell phone, and ask for tickets in Italian. What a hoot.
One way to see The Last Supper if you haven’t booked ahead is to find a local tour company that includes a visit to this painting as part of the tour. That’s what we did, and it went well and the tour guide was well informed and gave good explanations about what we were seeing. I’m glad we did it that way.
It’s true classic Italian or maybe French. Was there 2015 around July. I went in a.m. with no reservations and asked about cancellations, able to see it in the afternoon after Lake Como trip. We are family of 4. Got that tip from RS book. I should have taken pictures though because a lot of people have taken pictures. It was memorable.
I swear I know that woman. Maybe she has a twin sister here in Texas.
You can take pictures … just no flash