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Unless you have a car and the courage of a line the easiest way of travelling around Italy is by train. Italian trains are reasonably inexpensive, reasonably comprehensive, and, in the north of the country at least, reasonably efficient except when they are on strile or have a breakdown. Thanks to this I missed my chance to see Domingo sing live but i digress. There are different types of trains all of which require hyou to have your ticket before you get on otherwise there are extra charges if you purchase on board. Intercity trains are the fast ones that stop only at major cities, and require a supplement. Diretto, Espresso and Interregionale trains are the long-distance expresses, calling only at larger stations but more frequently than the intercity. Larger towns are included on these routes. Finally there are the Regionale trains that stop at every single town or postage stamp along the way. They sometimes look like the last train to nowhere but then they cost almost nothing. Make sure you stamp your ticket in the yellow ticket machine. Again there is a hafty fine for not doing so. City buses are always cheap, usually costing a flat fare of between €1 and €1,50 in the bigger cities. You need a ticket before you get on the bus and once you've bought your ticket it is only valid for about an hour or 75 minutes again depending on the city. You can hop on and off as many buses as you like during the time limit. You cannot purchase tickets on the bus so you have to get them from newsagents, tobacconists or special machines. There are spot checks to ensure that you have a ticket. Once on board, you must stamp your ticket in the machine at the back ( and front in the new ones) of the bus. No Italian dreams of growing up to be a train driver so if you are driving or on foot you will need to be alert as Italians behind the wheel become Mario Adretti! They also assume that they purchased the road with the car. As drivers they are active, to say the least, and consider optional the use of indicators so you have to second guess what the driver in front of you is planning to do. In the same scenario they are also first with the pedal to the metal when the lights change and stopping at a new red light is an optional. Once again the real challenge is to learn how to drive like them and there are some regional differences. In naples don't stop at a red light or you will be bumped by the guy behind you. You simply have to beep louder to claim the right of way. In the same vein, if you are a pedestrian, don't expect the drivers to respect pedestrian crossings and the changes of signals. One driver may stop but the one behind may overtake the first and hit you!! |