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Buying Italy Events Tickets Online with Charta

Doron Midroni

How to buy tickets to events in Italy on the Internet in a simple and secure manner.

I have very recently used the method described below to buy tickets for La Fenice in Venice (the absolutely last two tickets for the performance), and for the Teatro Comunale di Modena (where the choice was quite wide). I have also used it to identify availability for La Scala in Milan, Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome and many others. Charta.it is bookmarked on both my PC and laptop.

Charta

Charta is an Italian company that offers online tickets sales for events in Italy. Their website, www.charta.it, is very useful, easy to navigate, and allows you to do the following:

  • Access calendars for a variety of events in various Italian cities, including events as diverse as opera, classical music, theatre, exhibitions, festivals, etc.
  • Purchase tickets for these events

In this article, I will walk you through using www.charta.it to purchase your event tickets.

Charta - Home Page

screen snap of the charta.it website in English

On the Charta Home Page, click the "English" link to see the home page in English. On the Home Page you have two options:

  • "Our Proposals" provides information on upcoming events. This option allows you to buy tickets for events coming up soon.
  • "All events" lists all events in the system, ordered by city and venue. This option allows you to search months ahead to select an event and purchase tickets.

Charta - Looking at All Events

screen snap of the Events On-Line part of the charta.it site

From the Home Page, click the "All Events" link to see the extensive list of events organized as follows:

  • ON SALE, or
  • No available seats at the moment

Within each group, events are listed by city and within each city by venue, all in alphabetical order.

As an example, let us look at events On Sale for Roma (Rome).

  • In the On Sale section, scroll down to Roma.
  • Click on "Teatro dell'Opera di Roma" and the "Teatro dell'Opera Fondazione" page opens.
  • Click "Buy On-line" to see the calendar of events at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma.
  • Let us assume that we wish to find events at the Opera for November 2005. By clicking on the page numbers at the bottom of the page, the search will bring us to pages 7 and 8.
  • Assuming the chosen event is "La Sonnambula" on 29/11/2005, by clicking on the respective line the list of available tickets at the time of the search appears, with indications of the Zone where seats are available, the number of available seats in each Zone, and their prices.
  • At the bottom of the same page there is a small plan of the theatre. Enlarge this image to a full screen size by clicking on it. This offers a visual confirmation of where the available seats are placed vis--vis the stage and in the full context of the hall.
  • Assuming we choose Zone 7 for two tickets at 33.04 euro each, by clicking on that respective line a new small window appears which allows the selection of the number of tickets and shows the amount of the total cost for these two tickets.
    Note: The number of tickets which can be purchased in this manner varies from venue to venue, but 10 tickets is usually the maximum quoted. For our specific Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, only up to four tickets can be purchased in this manner. For larger groups the theatre must be contacted directly.
  • Once the choice is completed, the next step is to purchase the tickets.
  • Click on the "Confirm" button and a new screen opens, asking for a number of personal details that will enable the identification of the purchaser for the pick up of the tickets.
    Note: Take note of this information. You will need to have this credit card with you when you pick up your tickets (to prove your identity).
  • Click on "Accepted" and a new screen provides the searcher with a summary of the tickets purchased, the exact seating details (row and number) and with a large picture of the hall on which the allocated seats are highlighted in red.
  • All that remains now is to click on "Confirm".
  • The new screen which opens provides a printable page with the confirmation number, full details of the purchaser as indicated in a preceeding screen, the cost and the mode of payment. For the latter, space is provided to insert the credit card number, the expiry date and the type of card used.
    Note: If the purchaser is in Italy, the tickets can also be purchased at ATMs of IntesaBci branches throughout Italy using a cashline (debit) card.
  • If the "mode of payment" details are not completed the transaction and reservation will be cancelled after 24 hours.
  • Click the "Buy using your credit card" button to complete the transaction. A confirmation email is sent by Charta to the email address indicated in the personal details.

Wasn't that easy? Now you have your tickets for an event in Italy!

How do I find the performers for the event I wish to attend?

Use the Internet to search for the event to get more information. Search on the name of the Venue. Using the example above, I googled "Teatro dell'Opera di Roma" and found the website of the opera (www.opera.roma.it). I clicked on "Programmazione 2005" and found the "Calendario". On the calendar, I clicked "Novembre", the date of the event, and then clicked the name of the event "La Sonnambula" to get to the home page of the opera itself. There I found information for the performers.

On the lighter side, this website was also useful in deciding NOT to buy tickets at some events. The best example I can offer is quite recent: I was poised to buy tickets for a specific event that takes place during my approaching trip to Rome, when I stopped and opened another browser window to check the performers. Discretion is a virtue, so I will not get into the details of event, performer, etc. All I can say is that I extrapolated some information about one of the main performers, projected it with what I knew about the respective career, and finally decided that I would prefer to remember that performer as I recall from 25 years ago. I skipped the event.

Picking Up Your Tickets

Tickets can be picked up at the theatre, usually up to 30 minutes before the start of the event. In order to obtain the tickets at the theatre's cashier, one needs to present the confirmation number and the same credit card that was used when the purchase was completed.

Recommendation: Read the FAQ provided on the Home page of each location chosen for more information on getting your tickets.

You Cannot Get a Refund

Something to consider: booking and buying tickets via the Internet represents a powerful commitment, since the sale of the tickets obtained is final. After purchasing the tickets, it is not possible to cancel the purchase or to get a refund or to change the date (personal note: this has never stopped us .), and the tickets will not be released to anybody else but to a person who has both the confirmation number and the appropriate credit card. In some cases personal identification with a passport may also be required.

What does this really mean? It means that if the purchaser cannot attend the event for any reason, the tickets cannot be passed on to anybody else unless that person has all the documents required.

Booking Agencies

You could also book using a US-based booking agency.

Select Italy www.selectitlay.com: Select Italy, a US company, with online booking for museums, tours and music events in Italy. Advance tickets and reservations for museums in Rome, Florence, Milan, and Venice.
  Slow Travel Classifieds - Italy Travel Consultants: Travel consultants can book museums and other events.

Doron Midroni lives in Toronto. He is a partially-retired bank employee with strong interests in languages, books, travel, music, arts, and architecture.

© Doron Midroni, 2005

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