Andrea Bocelli Concert July 18th 2009

[alan m]

Hi - I am going to the Andrea Boccelli concert in Lajatico on the 18th July 2009. I was looking to find out the following:
- Are any towns providing transport to the venue? Buses etc… If so how do I find out the times and costs
- If you drive to the concert is it easy to park? Is there a cost?
- I understand you have to pick up concert tickets at the venue on the day - is that correct? Do you need to bring ID? Is there expected to be a long queue?
- Can you buy food and wine at the concert?
- Can you bring your own food and wine?
- Is dress code formal or casual?
- What time is concert expected to start and finish?

It would be great and I think very useful for many people if as many of the questions above could be answered. many thanks

Alan

[Lourdes]

Ciao Alan,

I am sure you will love the concert, every year has been different but Andrea Bocelli is awesome! You already have tickets right? They've been sold out for a while now.

Since this is its 4th year, the concert organization has gotten much better with logistics - I found several other online forums that document past experiences and it seems there has been a bit of chaos after the concert, particularly as regards transport.

Since I couldn't answer your questions from personal experience, I went to the source and called the Teatro del Silenzio! This as you already know, is the venue for the concert in Lajatico.

I'll try to include both what they told me as well as what I was able to gather from others who have attended in the past and which have posted on other online forums to answer some of your questions.

Getting there -

You need your own transportation to get to La Sterza which is 3 km from Lajatico. This is about 20 km from the Pontedera exit off the Firenze-Pisa-Livorno expressway. As you leave Pontedera, you follow signs towards Volterra.

There are public buses that leave from Pontedera and Volterra that stop in La Sterza - you can see schedules here: http://www.cpt.pisa.it/orare/extra/linea500.htm
You'd be interested in the "LA STERZA V.VOLTERRANA" stop, which is in yellow. It is possible to get there, the problem would be getting back after the concert since it should end around midnight. Public transport at that time is not available.

If you don't feel like driving yourself, there are agencies that offer transportation to the concert and back, you'd have to get quotes from your location.
Many have recommended www.toscanasempre.com in Volterra for getting both accommodation and transportation, but I don't personally know them or the cost of their services.

Box office and parking -

At La Sterza you'll find the box office to pick up your tickets - this is at the Hotel/Restaurant DA PASQUINO - as well as parking for the concert.
Da Pasquino is a bit of everything for the small town, it is pretty big and that's the reason why it serves as the box office - you can see a few pics here: http://www.dapasquino.it/
The box office will open at 12pm the day of the concert so you can pick up tickets well before the start of the concert. You do need ID. The queue might get long the closer to the start of the concert.

There will be signs indicating where to park. From the parking, shuttles will start running at 4pm and take you to the open-air theater (about 3km away) and will bring you back at the end of the concert.
I was told there is no parking at the theater so everyone needs to park here. If you arrive a little earlier you can see the small town of Lajatico as well.

Dress -

I was actually told by the lady at the theater to recommend dressing casually and this meant wearing comfortable shoes! You'll be outdoors -- long sleeves are also good since it can get a little windy and cool in the evening. Light jacket should be taken regardless. I found others saying that windy conditions also meant arriving to dusty seats!

Food and drinks -

There will be stands that offer food and drinks during "half-time". Others have said that the lines can get quite long, causing many to be late coming back in time when the performance started back again.
I would think it might be fine to take some drinks and food along with you, in line with the casual atmosphere. I don't think setting up a picnic might be feasible but since the concert is supposed to start around 9 it is a good idea to eat before hand in any case -- maybe at Da Pasquino since it is a bar/restaurant/pizzeria as well as box office place ;-)
Certainly some water bottles should be fine, maybe some wine in a plastic bottle as well and plastic cups - not sure you want to have to carry a cork bottle opener and trying to open a bottle right there and then.

Misc -

There are still tickets available for the rehearsals the day before (all seats 40 euros each) but the presence of the special guests appearing the day after is not guaranteed on the day of rehearsal. https://www.mioticket.it/fourone/default.asp

A view of the theater from Google Maps - http://maps.google.it/maps?f=q&sourc...h&z=16&iwloc=A

Here is a pdf showing seating at the theater - http://www.lajatico.info/TeatrodelSi...09_Cartina.pdf

The site for the theater doesn't have much information but here it is - http://www.teatrodelsilenzio.it/

[alan m]

It is extremely useful