The St Anthony tour reviewed: 4.7 from 11 ratings, and not one of the eight written reviews mentions the chapel
Not one of the eight reviewers mentions the chapel
I counted, because it looked too neat to be true. Not one of the eight written reviews contains the word Scrovegni, the word chapel, the word Giotto or the word fresco. They are about St Anthony, the Basilica, the tomb, and their guides. That is not a failure of the tour; it is what the tour is. It is also the clearest evidence on this site that a listing which turns up in a chapel search is not necessarily a chapel listing.
Eight written reviews out of eleven ratings is the fullest written record of the seven listings with a page here. Most people who rated this one also said why, which makes eight reviews on a small listing better evidence than ten on a large one.
What it actually is, in Lisajoyce’s words
Her review is the longest on this listing and it explains the product better than the product page does. Printed whole.
“I always wanted to learn about the life of my mom's beloved patron St. Anthony so when I was in Venice, I decided to hop on a 30 min train ride to see him and learn more about him. He has helped our family tremendously. He interceeds for us on healing and also finding lost things. He's helped my mom wake up from a coma, he's personally help me get through a traumatic surgery and continues to interceed with more healing. As a birthday gift to myself chose this tour. Our wonderful tour guide Rosana, who is a local to Padua was very skilled and informative with sharing St. Anthony's life and miraculous events. She was very kind and considerate with us. After recovering from surgery, been walking at a slower pace. Thankfully our guide was patient enough to wait for me to keep up with walking. It was such an experience to see St. Anthony's tomb and touch it and pray to him in the flesh. I felt a sense of comfort being in his presence. Thank you Rosana & also for the sweet St. Anthony cake.”
A pilgrimage, in other words, with a guide who waited for her. The listing is really about St Anthony — the Basilica, the tomb, and Camposampiero on your own afterwards — in five languages. If that is what you want, the record here is warm and unusually detailed. If you came for Giotto, this is not the booking, and the listings that do get you inside are the ones to read.
Karen’s four stars carry three separate complaints
“Roseanna was very good but I didn't feel I had enough information about St Anthony's life as I thought I would. We were misinformed about the meeting place which I found stressful and I thought the price of the tour was not value for money it was too expensive”
Not enough about St Anthony’s life, the wrong meeting place, and too expensive. It is the most informative negative review in the entire written record of this site, and it sits on a listing scoring 4.7. She is also one of five reviewers across four listings here who describe meeting-point trouble — while the two listings that explicitly warn their meeting point may move have no such complaint between them.
The other six
Five of the eight are five stars and three are four. Guides are named in seven of the eight: Angela in three, and a name written Rosana or Roseanna in four. That second name appears on five other listings in this catalogue, which is worth knowing before you assume that changing listing changes guide.
“Our live guide, Angela, was charming, kindly answering our questions and those of our son, and providing interesting historical explanations. We had a great time in her company listening to her explain the history of Padua, the monuments, and the streets. During our walk, we point out the museums to visit to complete your exploration of the city. Thank you. The 2-hour tour went by in a flash.”
“Roseanna is an excellent guide. You’d be fortunate to get her! She is knowledgeable, an effective communicator and leader who grew up in Padua. She brought in elements of Padua’s and catholic church history, developments in painting and sculpture and pigments used at various times, how the church is laid out and why, and more. Ask for Roseanna.”
“Angela was an amazing guide. She was lovely and so knowledgeable. She shared so much information with us and answered all our questions. She was happy to answer questions and never rushed. I would highly recommend Angela and this tour. Thank-you.”
“Excellent! Angela was attentive, proactive, and able to answer our questions. Excellent explanations and knowledge of the historical facts, as well as the scope of the tour. Well done!”
“Rosana explained everything to us very nicely and showed us a lot.”
“Interesting tour. The guide demonstrated knowledge and was very attentive.”
What its page says it includes
- An “Explanation of Scrovegni Chapel”, from outside it
- The Basilica of St Anthony, the tomb, and the story of his life
- Camposampiero, visited on your own afterwards
- A live guide, in any of five languages
- Two hours, which is the duration printed on the page
What its page says it does not
- “Tickets for Scrovegni Chapel” — the listing’s own wording, on its own not-included list
- Any entry to the chapel at all, which has to be booked separately and never on the day
What works
- Eight written reviews out of eleven ratings, the fullest written record of any listing with a page on this site
- Reviewers describe guides who waited, adjusted the pace and answered everything — one of them at length and with real feeling
- Sold in five languages
- Honest on its own page about what it does not include, which not every listing here manages
- Two hours, and one reviewer says the tour “went by in a flash”
Worth knowing
- It does not get you into the Scrovegni Chapel: the ticket is on its not-included list
- Not one of the eight written reviews mentions the chapel, Giotto or a fresco
- Three of the eight dropped a star
- One reviewer was misinformed about the meeting place and found it stressful
- The same reviewer thought it poor value, and said so in the same sentence
If you want both, book them separately
That is what this listing assumes you will do, and it is a workable plan: the Basilica and the tomb in the morning with a guide, and the chapel slot booked weeks earlier for whatever time you could get. What the chapel costs over the operator’s own counter is on tickets. How far ahead the windows open is on booking. What else fits into the same day is on Padua in a day. And if you would rather one booking covered both, one listing in this catalogue pairs the chapel with the Basilica: it is on the full comparison.
Most-reviewedGuided Tour of Giotto's Scrovegni Chapel
Private, priced per headPadua: Private City Walking Tour & Scrovegni's Chapel Visit
Capped at tenPadua: Small-group walking tour with the Scrovegni Chapel
Frequently asked questions
Does the St Anthony tour include the Scrovegni Chapel?
No. Its included list has an “Explanation of Scrovegni Chapel” and its not-included list has “Tickets for Scrovegni Chapel”. The chapel is explained from outside; getting in is left to you, and because the operator states that same-day reservations cannot be made, that means booking a slot separately and well in advance.
Is the St Anthony tour worth booking?
For St Anthony, the written record is unusually good: eight of the eleven people who rated it wrote something, most of it warm and specific, and one review describes the visit to the tomb at length. For the chapel it is the wrong booking, and its own page says so. One reviewer dropped a star for the meeting place and the price together.
Which Padua tours actually get you into the chapel?
Eleven of the thirteen listings on this site do. The two that do not are this one and a private day trip out of Venice where the chapel is something the traveller can opt for. Which is which, with each listing's own inclusions quoted, is on every listing compared.