Italy

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Hotel and Apartment Registration

Most hotels and apartments will ask you to sign a form similar to this one when you check in. Italian law requires your details to be reported to the local police. There are two places to sign on the document, one confirms the details and the other allows the information to be reported due to privacy laws.

Some hotels/b&Bs are now submitting this form electronically but even then you may be asked to sign their copy.

(I've blocked out my signature and passport number on the scan)

Monday, May 23, 2011

Ostia Antica

There are examples of the signage in Ostia Antica and sites taken in 2009. I used the tourist guide downloaded from here: http://www.ostia-antica.org/touristguide.pdf

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Driving in Italy- car choices

Choosing a rental car can be a tricky balance between large enough for people and luggage and small enough to navigate narrow streets and small parking places. It can be like Goldilocks trying on beds.

This is the typical car that I rent, a FIAT Punto 4 door

Filling the "trunk" space is a backpack, 28" rolling duffle, a folding grocery size bag, and a carryon size bag (the white one)

A car similar to this one...

Looked like this with 4 x 26" suitcases, 1 x 22" roller, 1 backpack, and 3 carryons.

This Citroen belongs to the same class as the FIAT Panda.

This is the amount of luggage that fit in the trunk,

a 22" rolling bag and a rolling backpack.

This is a 4 door Lancia Ipsilon in the same class as a Ford Fiesta

which holds a 28" rolling duffle and a rolling backpack.

Tight streets in Erice

Cefalù squeeze

Palermo merge

Erice do not enter

Bologna parking

Amalfi coast traffic jam

"moving" speed

Why viamichelin.com's time estimates are approximate...

Things to watch out for....

speed traps

ZTLs- Limited Traffic Zones,

this one's not active

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Reading an Italian train ticket

(you can enlarge the image by clicking on it)

Some helpful terms for navigating a train ticket (from the top down):
Biglietto con Prenotazione = Ticket with a Reservation
ES Italia AV FAST = the type of train
Base = fare type

N.1 Adulti= 1 Adult passenger

Data= Date (D/M) Ora= Time Partenza= Departure Station
Arrivo= Arrival Station Classe= class (1= first, 2= second)

Treno= the number of the train This is the number that you need to look for on the arrival and departure boards to locate your track (binario/bin)

Carrozza= carriage number Posti= seat number
Finestrino= window seat (Corridoio = aisle seat)

meno 30= shows that I received a discount for an advance purchase

This is a ticket for a regional train which does not have reserved seating:

Biglietto Treno Ordinario da Convalidare = the ticket will be *good* when it is validated in one of those nifty orange, yellow, or green machines that are located near the tracks.

Utilizzabile dal 12/02/09 al 20/04/09= these types of tickets are good for two months or until validated. They can be used on any regional train for this destination

Partenze= departure station Arrivo= arrival station Classe= seating class (1= first, 2= second)

Via...= shows some of the intermediate stops or the direction of the train

KM= the distance in kilometers in the journey

Vale 6H da convalida= After validating your ticket, you can use it for 6 hours

TOT BIGL. N.1= 1 ticket was issued

There is some faint print along the left edge of the ticket (you may not be able to see it) that shows what the validation stamp looks like.

The nifty validation machines. Make sure the screen has the date and time displayed and not FUORI DI SERVIZIO which means it is NOT working.

Some non ticket info:

The large 2 indicates that this is a second class carriage. The small 6 on the door is the carriage number. Sometimes it might be on a sign in the window.