Andrea Bocelli Concert July 18th 2009

alan m

New member
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
 
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 the schedule here: http://www.cpt.pisa.it/orare/extra/E500e_FS.pdf
You'd be interested in the "LA STERZA" stop. 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&sour...733299&spn=0.010714,0.024676&t=h&z=16&iwloc=A

Here is a pdf showing seating at the theater - http://www.lajatico.info/TeatrodelSilenzio2009_Cartina.pdf

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

I have been reading your excellent answer for last years concert. We have tickets for the rehearsal this year (sold out the big day) and hope to find the same arrangement for parking/shuttle as last year. :) It seems that you have all the answers
 
Ciao 3amigos,

It is likely to be the same as the concert is the special annual event in the area - the theater was made especially for it. I hope you enjoy the rehearsal, Andrea Bocelli is wonderful and performing with all his special guests is even more spectacular in the outdoor arena! :)
 
Bocelli Concert 2010

Hello, I'm in Tuscany right now and I've been trying to find out the best way to get to the rehearsal concert on 24 July 2010.

Would anyone know if the same procedure applies this year as last year.

My wife and I visited the venue today and we saw them setting up already. Couldn't ask anyone though about the best way to get to the concert.

Could we still park at La Sterza and take the shuttle to Teatro di Silenzio?

Thanks in advance for any help.
 
Ciao tonygcan,

Yes, the same procedure should still apply because there is no parking at the theater itself. I think as you arrive into La Sterza you'll be able to see where to park and find the shuttles to the concert venue. It seems that the organizers of the concert have pretty much found it works.... and it is the only event for the venue so far so they don't seem to feel the need to alter it to fit other needs! ;)

Did you know Lajatico is Bocelli's hometown? He contributed greatly to the construction of the outdoor theater... since they named it the "theater of silence", I wonder if the lack of parking was voluntary?

Do let us know how the whole experience turns out on Friday -- and enjoy!!
 
Hello,

We are a family of 4 and going to watch Andrea Bocelli on July 13th 2013. We are staying at Rinidia Bio located in Sociville Siena. First of all I want to say thank you for the information provided. It's been helpful so far with our planning. I just wanted to know if the details are still the same for this year. We will actually need to pick up our tickets at the Box Office first. We have a rental car so I think it will be cost effective, if we park to the lot stated below and then take the shuttle bus. Please do let me know if anything changed.

Appreciate any advise you may have.

Best Regards,
Michaela
 
Dear Michaela,
ciao from Florence! I was going through the posted infos about the concert and indeed, some of Lourdes' suggestions are extremely helpful! I went to Teatro del Silenzio last year by motorbike and I could enjoy the magic of the corn fields and the sunset among the hills. The place is gorgeous, very suggestive.
The best way to enjoy the experience is truly to get there with a lot of time in advance. Once you have the tickets in your pocket, you'll be free to enjoy dinner in one of the restaurants in the neighborhood. Once you'll get up to the concert field, you will not be able to get out and you would surely either find queues at the stands or a restricted selection of sandwiches. If you have the chance, bring some snacks and something to drink, just in case.

Getting there driving by car will be another great experience: the Tuscan countryside around Lajatico is gorgeous, great natural photographic setting! Make sure you depart quite early from Sociville to be on time to gather your tickets and everything else will go smoothly :)

Enjoy the "SILENCE"
My best
Elena
 
Thank you so much Elena for your suggestions. We will definitely try to leave early, hoping to arrive La Sterza at 3PM or 4 PM the latest.

Regards,
Michaela
 
Since this thread is still useful, here is the link to the updated bus schedule:
http://www.cpt.pisa.it/orare/extra/lineeLoc/elencoLin/LAJATICO.htm
since there is a stop at Lajatico, but on Sundays there is only 1 bus in each direction!! Yes, you read that right.... that is why you can't depend on buses in the countryside and need to rent a car :/
 
Andrea Bocelli 2014

Ciao,

I would like to know if there are other tour operators providing transport to Bocelli's concert from nearby cities (Firenze, San Gimignano, Siena) than Arianna and friends?

Thanks in advance!
 
Yes there are although it seems that Arianna and Friends, being in the area, have been been really good about organizing service for years now and so they are well organized specifically for transfer to and from various cities in Tuscany. At 60-90 euro round trip, it seems like a good rate.

You should know that practically any tour agency that offers "transfer" services will arrange for you to get there and back without you having to worry about driving or the times the concert ends. But it is a private car/van, you will have to deal with the full cost of the trip while a bus/large van will spread cost among all those using the service.

In any case, I also found these two that organize transfer for the concerts (this year there are two, the classic Bocelli one on the 20th of July and then Ennio Morricone on the 22th.

1. http://www.viagginconfort.it/
2. http://news.esatour.it/wp-content/u...el-Silenzio-ANDREA-BOCELLI-20th-July-2014.pdf - they are offering full packages, with concert tickets and hotel rooms included, but as they also organize transport from nearby cities to the concert, you should contact them and ask whether you can be added. Or at least to see whether they are open to it, and to find out about cost.

Enjoy the concert!!
 
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