Having spent two weeks in Italy recently (Rome, Verona and vicinity, Venice) I couldn’t help but make a few observations on the local transportation options (public and active transportation only – I didn’t rent a car). As I have the privilege of living in a transit-rich, walkable urban community in the US, (Old Town Alexandria, Virginia) I didn’t experience the culture shock that more suburban Americans might feel. But I certainly logged plenty of walking “steps” and experienced a pretty wide cross-section of mobility options. (If you follow me on Twitter you may have already seen some of these comments.)
Rome Metro
Rome is a major world capital with an inadequate Metro network. For a variety of reasons – including historic problems managing large public works projects and the fact that you can’t stick a spade in the ground in the city without major archaeological consequences – there are only two Metro lines. A third line – Line C – is under construction, and further lines are only distant planning objectives. The result is that major parts of the city (Trastevere, for instance) are unreachable without a car or slow bus travel.
When I rode the Metro recently I found the service to be generally efficient, although it was very crowded and somewhat rundown in appearance. Hopefully the stars will be in alignment at some point in the future to give Rome the Metro system it needs and deserves.
Intercity trains
The intercity Frecciarossa trains, operated by Trenitalia, connect all the major Italian cities with fast, reliable, frequent, comfortable service. Why would anyone fly instead? Why can’t we do this in the US?
Regional trains
I found the regional trains in northern Italy to be very efficient, with mostly new trainsets, and very crowded. Unlike the long-distance trains, the regionals have no assigned seats, so there is a scramble for seating (reminds me of the Amtrak Northeast Regionals!). On the mainlines, where we were, there is always a choice of train types, and the regionals work great (and of course are cheaper) for shortish trips.
Local buses
I only rode local buses in Verona, but found them to be clean, modern, efficient, and – like all public transport in Italy – crowded! A simple tap of your credit card will get you a trip, without the need of a pass or ticket. However, sometimes the card reader wasn’t working, and sometimes it was simply too crowded to get to it! In any event, the operator doesn’t seem to care. Farebox recovery doesn’t seem to be a major objective!
Padua tram
I rode the Padua tram which (thanks Rick Steves!) efficiently connects the train station with the city center and the major tourist sites. The equipment is modern, but the ride is very rough. Fortunately, funding has been secured for upgrading (and extending) the route. The most annoying feature is the paucity of signage. On arriving in Padua at the train station, we had to ask directions to the tram station (why wouldn’t they have prominent signs?). When we found the station, there was no system map or any indication as to which direction led to the city center. Asking around at the tram stop (always the fallback when transit maps are not helpful) we were sent in the wrong direction! As happens all too often, the user interface is terrible.
Venice vaporettos
In Venice, the vaporetto (water bus) is the workhorse of transportation. It’s dependable (except during a general strike, as we found out in October). The network is comprehensive, and service is frequent. And of course it’s crowded. As with most public transport we experienced, fare collection/enforcement is pretty lax. I’m not sure there’s much they could do to speed up service. And as a landlubber I’m always amazed that so many boats in a confined space, operated by Italians (notoriously averse to regulation), avoid frequent collisions.
Bicycles
I saw lots of folks on bicycles in northern Italy – people of all ages and apparent social and economic status. There were few dedicated bike facilities, and most cyclists avoided the busy main streets. The smaller streets are jammed with a chaotic mix of pedestrians, cyclists, cars, delivery vehicles, and motorcycles, a free-for-all requiring pedestrians to be vigilant at all times. And as many of the smaller streets are paved with cobblestones or bricks the walk (or ride or drive) can be pretty daunting. Nevertheless, bicycles are a prominent feature of the transportation picture.
Pedestrian streets
I experienced some completely pedestrianized streets in my travels, most notably Via Mazzini in Verona, a marble paved street lined with high-end retail that attracts throngs of shoppers and tourists. More common are narrow, all-purpose streets that (as discussed above) attract all kinds of traffic, but are definitely not suited for through automobile traffic. One of my favorite streets in this category is the Via della Madonna dei Monti in Rome, near the Roman Forum and Colosseum. Two thousand years ago this street was called the Argiletum, and linked the Roman Forum to the Subura district. Although all the buildings and surfaces have changed many times, I think the scale and character of the street is probably much the same.
Some concluding thoughts
Obviously my few tourist trips don’t constitute a comprehensive survey of public transport in central and northern Italy, but I do have a few thoughts:
Public transport in this part of Italy is very well used, which is to say it’s crowded.
Service is frequent. I’m a believer in the Jarrett Walker maxim “frequency is freedom,” and the frequency of most of the services I encountered really made it possible to move around freely (except of course for intercity trains) without worrying about timetables.
Service providers don’t seem to care much about collecting fares. Most services can be paid for using a credit card tap, but operators didn’t seem particularly interested, and fare inspectors were rare.
Equipment is generally relatively new and in good repair, although Rome’s metro cars and stations could use some freshening up and better cleaning.
Visiting a place where walking and public transport can get you to almost everywhere you want to go is great! Makes you wonder why we can’t do more of it in the US!
