Subways and Trains and Buses, Oh My

^^^Stazione Milano Centrale (June 2009)^^^

Rome is a wonderful place to go as a student because it's incredibly easy and inexpensive to travel around the city. First of all, if the weather is nice, as it normally is in Rome (with the exception of the month of August), one can traverse the city on foot. At a brisk pace and allowing for getting lost, you can probably cross the city in about three hours. This may seem like a lot, but Rome is actually a very small and compact city compared to sprawling urban wastelands like London or New York. However, sometimes there is a need to get from Point A to Point B in a timely manner, and that is when you have Rome's expansive metro and bus system at your fingertips.

I'll try to explain this complicated public transportation system that took me nearly a month to completely understand and fully utilize. First of all, Rome has two airports. The main airport is Leonardo da Vinci or Fiumicino Aeroporto. It is about thirty five minutes from the center of the city. You may ride a taxi into the city, but the cheapest alternative is to ride the Leonardo Express. The Leonardo Express is a fast train that runs from Fiumicino Airport to Termini Station. Termini is the major hub for trains, the metro and the buses. Rome has many bus routes, the most popular being the number 64 and the number 40. These are frequented by tourists who want to be carried through the centro storico and the Vatican area. Thus, they are also frequented by pickpockets and thieves. Criss-crossing at Termini are the Metro lines A and B, which run in opposite directions of the city. If the construction signs surrounding Termini speak truthfully, the city of Rome is also working on a third Metro line.

Map of the Metro: http://www.rome.info/metro/

The Metro and buses are the most useful for a tourist. Even for a student, I found that the library was wonderfully close to the first stop on Metro Line B, after Termini. However, and this may or may not be a culture shock to people, it is ridiculously crowded on the subways and buses. You will be jostled, you will be pushed, you will be yelled at. It is inevitable. But, as someone who has been to New York, I would assuredly say that the Rome Subways are much cleaner and safer and timely than the New York Subway system. Furthermore, Roman public transportation is run by one organization, and they offer a very helpful website that helps you plan your trip down to the minute.

See the ATAC website: http://www.atac.roma.it/

An interesting thing I learned about the bus was that you shouldn't be sitting down when you're waiting for a bus at the stop. The driver will not stop for you! You should be standing at the edge of the sidewalk, and staring down the driver to make sure he knows you intend to get on the bus. However, I would not suggest this tactic for a train or a subway. Furthermore, as someone who is only used to American buses, the Rome bus system works on a quasi-honor code. You are supposed to have a ticket, which you validate when you board in one of the yellow stamping machines on each bus. Apparently, your bus can be checked by ticket inspectors, and if you don't have a ticket you will be fined. However, in my weeks of stay in Rome, I had not caught sight of one inspector.

Aside from the convenience of the subway and bus, I find that the most delightful way of traveling is by train. Italy has a wonderful train system, and trains that depart almost hourly from Rome to Florence, Naples, Venice, Milan, Pisa, etc. There is a magical quality to a long train ride, as if time slows down and the rumbling of the tracks melts away your worries. The landscape of Italy is beautiful as well, and on the ride from Venice to Rome you can see beautiful farms and vineyards. Furthermore, there is no waiting or security or check in or complicated boarding passes. There are no baggage claims or children kicking the back of your seat. Being whisked away to an Italian city on a train is like being in a wonderful novel, both glossy and gritty, economic and luxurious.

^^^Stazione Napoli Centrale (June 2009)^^^

The Work

Let's clear up a misconception right here, right now. Italians do not hate Americans. Italians also do not hate American students. I found that most Romans are kind-hearted, warm people who love to talk and love to help you. However, they may be a bit miffed if someone enters their country without showing any respect for their culture or displaying common courtesy.

If it weren't for these wonderful Italians, I would never have gotten any research or work done, and I would probably still be wandering around the Colosseum, looking for a WC.

On the first full day in Rome, I walked to the centro storico where the Archivio is located. The Official Archives of Rome are located in a gorgeous building, with a large courtyard and a bell tower. There, I had to fill out a form to get a card to view the archives. This may seem simple enough, but not for someone with spotty conversational Italian and little knowledge of Italian research terms. A wonderful archivist helped me fill out the form, and he also asked about my research topic. When he wasn't clear on exactly what would help me, he directed me to the lady who was in charge of gender studies at the Archivio. Despite the fact that she could speak no English, and I could barely speak Italian, she spent a good thirty minutes trying to figure out what it was that I needed.

I met with the same delightful hospitality and warmth at the Library. As an American, I am accustomed to going into a library and pulling a book off the shelf. Usually, you have to look up the book in the catalog by yourself, and then wander around looking for the exact book, and usually not finding it because someone has misplaced that same book. The National Library of Rome works in this manner: First, you must obtain a library card. If you are an international visitor, you should have your passport with you. (A mistake I made the first time I trudged across town to visit the library.) Once you obtain a library card, you must check your bags. If you need to carry notebooks or other reference materials, the library offers plastic bags. To enter the library itself, you need to swipe your library card. In order to obtain a book, you need to use one of the computers at the library, and find the listing for your book. Then, you reserve it by choosing an area in the library where you might want to pick it up. In about an hour, your book is ready to be picked up at a desk. They roll the books in from what I would imagine is a vast underground system, and your selection comes on a little trolley that looks suspiciously like a mining cart.

This entire system was explained to me with great patience by one of the librarians, to whom I am extremely grateful. In fact, there are many people like that librarian scattered across Italy, to whom I am thankful. To everyone who gave me directions when I asked, to everyone who explained what a word or a phrase meant to me, to all the extremely helpful citizens of Italy, I am truly grateful.