# Italian sites you must book, and when tickets drop

> The Last Supper releases tickets a season ahead, Cappella Sansevero 60 days, the Colosseum 30. Six sites you can't enter unbooked, ranked by window.

URL: https://myitalia.it/best/sites-you-must-book-in-advance
Last updated: 2026-09-11

The Last Supper releases its tickets a whole season ahead, the Cappella Sansevero 60 days ahead and the Colosseum 30, and three more sites, the Galleria Borghese, Brunelleschi's dome and the Crypt of Original Sin near Matera, make booking compulsory without publishing a release window.

## The criterion: compulsory booking with a known release date

Six sites in our sources refuse entry without a booking, and that's the first test for this list. A site ranks higher if it also publishes when its tickets go on sale, because that's the date you need to put in your calendar.

"Booking recommended" doesn't qualify. Neither does a site that sells out in practice but still has a ticket office that sells on the day. Three of the six also pass the second test.

## Ranked by how far ahead tickets are released

| Rank | Site | Release window | Also know |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Last Supper, Milan | a season ahead, four times a year | extra tickets every Wednesday at noon |
| 2 | Cappella Sansevero, Naples | 60 days ahead | a second batch two days before |
| 3 | Colosseum, Rome | 30 days ahead | named ticket, 75 minutes inside |
| 4 | Galleria Borghese, Rome | not published | 2.00 euro booking, including free tickets |
| 4 | Brunelleschi's dome, Florence | not published | slot can't be changed or cancelled |
| 4 | Crypt of Original Sin, Matera | not published | fixed entry times only |

The first three give you a date to set an alarm for. The last three give you a rule.

## The Last Supper sells a season at a time

Tickets for the Last Supper are released quarterly: in September for November to January, in December for February to April, in March for May to July, and in June for August to October. Every Wednesday at noon, about 215 extra tickets a day for the following week go on sale, online only.

Booking is compulsory for every ticket, including free ones. A full ticket costs 15 euro and 2 euro for EU citizens aged 18 to 25 in 2026. If you missed the quarterly release, the Wednesday batch is your realistic second chance; the full mechanism is on [the Last Supper releases tickets quarterly](/stories/the-last-supper-releases-tickets-quarterly).

## Cappella Sansevero opens 60 days out

The Cappella Sansevero, the Naples chapel of the Veiled Christ, releases online tickets 60 days before your visit date, with a further batch two days before. Booking is compulsory.

The museum is open every day except Tuesday, 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, and a full ticket costs 12.00 euro in 2026. That two-day batch is the one to watch if your Naples dates were fixed late.

## The Colosseum opens 30 days out

Colosseum tickets go on sale online 30 days before the visit date, carry your name, and come with a compulsory entry time. With the ordinary 24-hour ticket, your time inside the amphitheater is limited to 75 minutes.

Thirty days is the shortest window of the three, and the most competitive. The release routine, including the time of day it happens, is on [the Colosseum ticket release](/plan/colosseum-ticket-release).

## Three sites that require a booking but publish no window

At the Galleria Borghese in Rome booking is compulsory for everyone, including under-18s who enter free, and costs a fixed 2.00 euro. Visits run in two-hour slots with a cap per slot; the last slot, at 5:45 pm, is shorter.

Brunelleschi's dome in Florence requires a time slot that you can neither change nor cancel. Last entries are at 6:45 pm on weekdays and 4:30 pm on Saturdays; on Sundays and holidays you can climb only from 12:45 to 4:30 pm, and the dome is closed for maintenance from November 16 to 20, 2026.

The Crypt of Original Sin, a rock church outside Matera with frescoes from the 8th and 9th centuries, is visited only by booking at fixed times: six a day from April to September, at 9:00 am, 10:30 am and noon, then 3:00, 4:30 and 6:00 pm, five in March and October, four from November to February. For every release window we track, see [the ticket release calendar](/plan/ticket-release-calendar).

## FAQ

### When do tickets for the Last Supper go on sale?

Every three months: in September for November to January, in December for February to April, in March for May to July, in June for August to October. On top of that, every Wednesday at noon about 215 extra tickets a day for the following week go on sale, online only (2026).

### How far ahead can you book the Cappella Sansevero in Naples?

60 days. Online tickets for the chapel of the Veiled Christ open 60 days before the date of your visit, and a further batch is released two days before. Booking is compulsory; the full ticket costs 12.00 euro in 2026 and the museum is closed on Tuesdays.

### When do Colosseum tickets go on sale?

30 days before the date of your visit, online. The ticket carries your name and a compulsory entry time, and with the ordinary 24-hour ticket you can stay inside the amphitheater for 75 minutes (2026).

### Can I change my time slot for Brunelleschi's dome in Florence?

No. Booking a time slot is compulsory to climb the dome, and the slot can be neither changed nor cancelled (2026): miss it and you lose the ticket. Last entries are at 6:45 pm on weekdays and 4:30 pm on Saturdays, and on Sundays and holidays you can climb only from 12:45 to 4:30 pm.

### Do children need a booking at the Galleria Borghese?

Yes. Booking is compulsory for every visitor at the Galleria Borghese, including under-18s who enter free, and costs a fixed 2.00 euro. Visits run in two-hour slots with a cap on visitors per slot, and the last slot, at 5:45 pm, is shorter (2026).

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| I biglietti del Cenacolo Vinciano vengono rilasciati su base trimestrale (a settembre per novembre-gennaio, a dicembre per febbraio-aprile, a marzo per maggio-luglio, a giugno per agosto-ottobre); in aggiunta, ogni mercoledi' alle ore 12.00 vengono messi in vendita solo online circa 215 biglietti giornalieri extra per la settimana successiva (2026). | [Museo del Cenacolo Vinciano](https://cenacolovinciano.org/info/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Il biglietto per il Museo del Cenacolo Vinciano a Milano costa 15 euro intero e 2 euro per i cittadini UE tra 18 e 25 anni (2026); la prenotazione e' obbligatoria per ogni tipo di biglietto, anche per gli aventi diritto alla gratuita'. | [Museo del Cenacolo Vinciano](https://cenacolovinciano.org/info/); [Ministero della Cultura](https://cultura.gov.it/luogo/museo-del-cenacolo-vinciano) | high | 2027-06-30 |
| Per visitare il Museo Cappella Sansevero, dove si trova il Cristo velato, la prenotazione e' obbligatoria: i biglietti online si aprono 60 giorni prima della data di visita, con una tranche ulteriore rilasciata due giorni prima. Il museo e' aperto tutti i giorni 9:00-19:00 tranne il martedi' e il biglietto intero costa 12,00 euro (2026). | [Museo Cappella Sansevero](https://www.museosansevero.it/organizza-la-tua-visita/orari-e-tariffe); [Ministero della cultura](https://cultura.gov.it/luogo/museo-cappella-sansevero) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Al Parco archeologico del Colosseo il biglietto e' nominativo e con fascia oraria di ingresso obbligatoria: le vendite online si aprono 30 giorni prima della data di visita e con il biglietto ordinario 24h la permanenza all'interno dell'anfiteatro e' limitata a 75 minuti (2026). | [Parco archeologico del Colosseo](https://colosseo.it/orari-e-biglietti/); [doc 2](https://colosseo.it/biglietti/colosseo-foro-romano-palatino/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Alla Galleria Borghese la prenotazione e' obbligatoria per tutte le categorie, compreso il biglietto gratuito per i minori di 18 anni, e costa 2,00 euro fissi; la visita si svolge in turni di due ore con un tetto di visitatori per turno, e l'ultimo turno delle 17:45 ha durata ridotta (2026). | [Galleria Borghese - Ministero della cultura](https://galleriaborghese.cultura.gov.it/visita/info-biglietti/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Per salire sulla Cupola del Brunelleschi a Firenze e' obbligatorio prenotare uno slot orario che non e' ne' modificabile ne' cancellabile (2026); gli ultimi ingressi sono alle 18:45 nei feriali, alle 16:30 il sabato, e la domenica e i festivi si sale solo dalle 12:45 alle 16:30. La Cupola resta chiusa per manutenzione dal 16 al 20 novembre 2026. | [Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore](https://tickets.duomo.firenze.it/it/support/faq) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| La Cripta del Peccato Originale, chiesa rupestre affrescata tra VIII e IX secolo sulla Gravina di Picciano fuori Matera, si visita solo su prenotazione obbligatoria a orari fissi: sei turni al giorno da aprile a settembre (9.00, 10.30, 12.00, 15.00, 16.30, 18.00), cinque a marzo e ottobre, quattro da novembre a febbraio (2026) | [Cripta del Peccato Originale - Fondazione Zetema](https://www.criptadelpeccatooriginale.it/info/opening); [doc 2](https://www.criptadelpeccatooriginale.it/info/where); [doc 3](https://www.criptadelpeccatooriginale.it/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/poi.cenacolo.v2.1600.jpg
Author: Joyofmuseums. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%22The_Last_Supper%22_by_Leonardo_da_Vinci_-_Joy_of_Museums.jpg

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