The Getty Villa is a magnificent architectural gem tucked away inside of a deep canyon off of the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. The museum houses a wide collection of ancient Greek, Etruscan, and Roman pottery, statues, mosaics and other artifacts, while the building itself is patterned after a partially excavated villa that was discovered in the ruins near Pompeii.

Getting to the Getty Villa requires some advance planning. It has a high volume of visitors and a limited number of parking spaces, and guests are pulsed through at timed intervals. Museum entry is free, but a ticket is required. You can make ticket reservations through the Internet by accessing the Getty website at http://www.getty.edu/visit/ and scrolling down to the boxed information on reserving tickets for the Getty Villa.

The museum officially opened in 1974, although J. Paul Getty had been allowing the public to view his collection of antiquities in a wing of his private home for years. Getty's private residence is still located on the same site as the Villa. The museum closed in 1997, and remained closed for more than nine years. It re-opened in January 2006, featuring several renovations that are designed to make the area around the villa look like an excavation site. The renovations include a new entrance and surrounding structures that house a cafe, a museum store, and an outdoor amphitheater.

Once each year, the outdoor theater gets put to use for a live performance of a vintage play. This year, the play is "Tug of War," which has been adapted from Amy Richlin's translation of Plautus' "Rudens." Beginning Monday, July 9, the Villa will be selling advance tickets for the upcoming performance. Tickets sell out fast, so order them early. Previews are $20; regular performances are $30 to $35. The first preview is August 30 at 8 p.m. Performances continue through September 29, 2007.

For a day visit to the Getty Villa, LA2day offers these suggestions:

* Reserve tickets for 10 a.m. This early entry gives you plenty of time to see most of the Villa and its surrounding gardens and perhaps to enjoy a leisurely Mediterranean lunch in the cafe. (One ticket admits one adult and up to three children, ages fifteen and younger, per car.)

* Plan to enter the Villa from the PCH's Northbound lane, about one mile after the Von's grocery store. You can't cross over the PCH's double-yellow line to enter from the Southbound lane.

* As soon as you arrive, go to the tour desk and sign-up for the "Greeks on the Black Sea: Ancient Art from the Hermitage" temporary exhibit. The Greeks' trade with the Scythians has produced lots of interesting hybrid art, and there is even some antique bling on view. There is only space for 12 people at a time for tours of changing exhibits.

* Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring sunscreen, especially if you go on the orientation or the architecture and gardens tours. (Umbrellas are provided for the tours.)

* The exhibition galleries are organized by theme -- for example, Gods and Goddesses, Dionysus, Women and Children of Antiquity, and so forth. Pick a few exhibits, including the changing exhibit, to see per visit. It is easy to become over-saturated. Instead, choose a few exhibits and really enjoy them.

* Take a self-guided audio tour ($5). The audio tour will guide you to the museum's main attractions. This tour is especially useful if you're coming from out of town or only have a couple of hours to visit and want to see the Villa's highlights.

Taking a day to immerse yourself in the Getty Villa's architecture, gardens, and antiquities is a great way to get away from the busyness of city life. Just follow the Boy Scout motto, and be prepared to maximize your enjoyment.

If you go:

The Getty Villa is located at
17985 Pacific Coast Highway
Pacific Palisades, Calif. 90272

Open:
Thursday–Monday
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
(Closed Tuesday, Wednesday, and on January 1, July 4, Thanksgiving, and December 25.)

By Kandy Arnold