Traveling while my knees still work

April 20

Siena, Italy was my first stop on my first solo trip. I planned this trip completely by myself. So i was a wreck, hoping I didn’t screw up. Plus the pandemic was just ending, Italy had just re-opened and planning was very hard. I wasn’t about to drive over there and wanted to only use the rail system. I’m originally from Oklahoma and now live in Florida so I didn’t know squat about traveling on trains. Plus, I basically could not speak Italian. During the pandemic, I tried to learn Italian on Duo-lingo and Babbell so i could get by but nothing of consequence.

I flew from Miami, Florida to Milan, Italy where i was to board a train to go straight to Siena, Italy in the heart of Tuscany. I found the train station in the airport without issue and got into the line behind a large group of loud, annoying men asking a million questions. Karma smiled on me and a lovely young woman behind the counter waved me over. She spoke English beautifully and i shakily handed her my well-thought-out itinerary of how to get from there to Siena. She looked at it and smiled, stating I must have done a lot of research, however she thought she could get me there quicker and cheaper. I loved her. She ticketed me through to Siena, telling me how to transfer in Florence, where the train would approximately be, and sent me on my way. I had researched enough to know that every ticket has to be validated at the train itself. So i wandered away looking for something that looked like a validating machine that i had seen on-line. Nope, nada, nothing looked like what i was supposedly looking for. The lovely young lady saw me looking panicked and again came to my rescue. She left the ticket office and came out to take me to the machine and showed me how to use it. I managed to get through Milan’s Grand Centrale Station (huge), Florence’s centrali (jammed), and by the time i got to Siena, i was a pro.

It wasn’t long before I realized my training session at the airport had been essential. Validation ticket machines can be different depending on where you are. Everywhere i went, either by bus or train I was always keeping an eye out for them. You have to validate your bus tickets too. Of course, at the bus stop, i was looking all around for the machine before a kind teenager pointed to the machine actually IN the bus. (Did I mention i grew up in Oklahoma where we basically had no public transportation) Hey, live and learn.

I focus so much on validating your tickets because there can be large and IMMEDIATE fines if you are caught without one. So for the 3 weeks i was in italy, i obsessed with making sure i validated every time, every where. As i was on the train back to the Milan’s Malpensa Airport, I laughed at myself for being so anal. Not once was i stopped by a conductor, not once was my ticket checked, and here i was on my last train ride headed home. Right as that thought was a little bubble above my head, and i could literally see the airport, here comes a conductor. I hold up my ticket as usual, instead of just looking away as the conductor usually did, he checked it carefully, saw it was validated and moved on to the young couple in front of me. You guessed it, the couple had not validated either of their tickets, and told them they would have to pay the fine. The train was stopping for the airport so the male of the couple said they would just get off. Nope. The conductor said pay up or they would have the police meet them when the door opened. It cost 200 E! As they got off the train, terribly upset, the young lady said it had to be a mistake and they would take it up with the train authorities, etc, etc.

I told this story on one of the travel groups i belong to on facebook. It was astonishing how many people said they just wouldn’t pay it. Oh, so very righteous and cavalier. But just as many people as me shared their same version, while providing context on how breaking a law in Italy is the same as breaking a law in the US. Follow the rules, kids, and you won’t get hurt.