Locomotion L'Italiano
I recently got back from a 10 day trip to Italy with the wife.
There is much to write about for sure... but as a public service announcement to all citizens of the modern and competent world... PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING.
If you are in Italy, need to travel, and on a timeline, DO NOT take the Italian Railways...
They have no concept of keeping to a schedule... and I would not be surprised if they still use a sundial.
Taking the train
(Generalization but true...) The Italians are notorious for not being punctual.
And the public transportation system in Italy is no exception.
In their defense, they do post a time table at the stations... but to borrow a line from Captain Jack Sparrow, "it's more of a guideline."
Taking the train in Italy is for some, a stressful endeavor.
I for one am not a fan. Being raised in Japan, my standards are high.
It's a country based on extreme meticulousness, where 3 minute train delays during the early morning commute make headline news.
Executives from the Railroad companies are interviewed and apologize profusely for their incompetence.
So to make an analogy, if Japan were an Olympic 100m sprinter, the Italians would have to be a toddler learning to walk.
A word of advice, give yourself a good 20-30 minute buffer time if you are in need to make a transfer anywhere in Italy.
Before boarding any train, you have to make sure you go to a "time stamp" machine and swipe your ticket.
To my knowledge, all this does is stamp the time on the top line of your ticket.
There's no magnetic strip or barcode anywhere to verify identity or authenticity.
What's even more shocking is the scarse amount of train conductors around monitoring everyone's tickets.
For all I know, if you are savvy with the system, you could hop on any train and ride for free.
The first leg of my 3 city tour was from Milano Centrale to Venezia Santa Lucia.
Reputation did not dissapoint.
After eagerly boarding our Firstclass seats on the Eurostar Train,
our scheduled 3 hour direct train ride became a 4.5 hour trip with a transfer onto a local commuter train without seats.
Apparently there was a strike unveiling during our trip and our original train stopped service in mid-trip.
Seriously guys... Get it together.
It's a complete mystery to this American how Italy is part of the G7 Nation of Superpowers.
One great thing about train stations in Italy are the awesome Panini stands at every corner.
They are the perfect little snack. They almost off-set the frustration of the delays and cancellations one may encounter when traveling in Italy.
Almost.
There is much to write about for sure... but as a public service announcement to all citizens of the modern and competent world... PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING.
If you are in Italy, need to travel, and on a timeline, DO NOT take the Italian Railways...
They have no concept of keeping to a schedule... and I would not be surprised if they still use a sundial.
Taking the train
(Generalization but true...) The Italians are notorious for not being punctual.And the public transportation system in Italy is no exception.
In their defense, they do post a time table at the stations... but to borrow a line from Captain Jack Sparrow, "it's more of a guideline."
Taking the train in Italy is for some, a stressful endeavor.
I for one am not a fan. Being raised in Japan, my standards are high.
It's a country based on extreme meticulousness, where 3 minute train delays during the early morning commute make headline news.
Executives from the Railroad companies are interviewed and apologize profusely for their incompetence.
So to make an analogy, if Japan were an Olympic 100m sprinter, the Italians would have to be a toddler learning to walk.
A word of advice, give yourself a good 20-30 minute buffer time if you are in need to make a transfer anywhere in Italy.
Before boarding any train, you have to make sure you go to a "time stamp" machine and swipe your ticket.To my knowledge, all this does is stamp the time on the top line of your ticket.
There's no magnetic strip or barcode anywhere to verify identity or authenticity.
What's even more shocking is the scarse amount of train conductors around monitoring everyone's tickets.
For all I know, if you are savvy with the system, you could hop on any train and ride for free.
The first leg of my 3 city tour was from Milano Centrale to Venezia Santa Lucia.
Reputation did not dissapoint.
After eagerly boarding our Firstclass seats on the Eurostar Train,
our scheduled 3 hour direct train ride became a 4.5 hour trip with a transfer onto a local commuter train without seats.
Apparently there was a strike unveiling during our trip and our original train stopped service in mid-trip.
Seriously guys... Get it together.
It's a complete mystery to this American how Italy is part of the G7 Nation of Superpowers.
One great thing about train stations in Italy are the awesome Panini stands at every corner.They are the perfect little snack. They almost off-set the frustration of the delays and cancellations one may encounter when traveling in Italy.
Almost.
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