Caio,Does anyone have any tips or advise with regard

Caio,

Does anyone have any tips or advise with regard to applying for Italian citizenship? I live in Cambridge, MA, I pre-qualified online in Feb 2020, with the Italian-American Consulate in Boston, by "Jure Sanquinis" citizenship by Italian descent.  However, scheduling an appointment for a hearing is proving to be a real challenge. Their online booking for appointments shows no availability through December 2021. The Boston Consulate only offers 2-days per week for appointments, scheduling opens on the first Monday of each month. For those who have pre-qualified they can check the Consulate's online booking site at any time for availability, cancelations etc. So far checking their booking site on a daily bases has been fruitless. I will continue to check and hopefully secure an appointment for early  2022. 

My next question has anyone applied for their Italian citizenship while in Italy?... I plan to be in Gaeta, Lt, for 5-weeks, Sept/Oct (that's if all goes well with this pandemic).  A friend recommend I hire a lawyer to help me expedite my Italian citizenship. That route can be expensive, also I believe it would still require a wait time of a year or more. I have the documentation needed a lawyer would only be beneficial if they could some how secure an appointment? Thank you for your responses.