Italy Getting Around
Most Italian towns have a good network of
local transport services, which can include buses, metros, trains,
trams, funiculars and lifts. Public transport is usually cheap and
efficient and is probably the best way to visit Italian cities, since
parking, petrol and motorway tolls are quite expensive in Italy. Buses
are fast and reliable, whether they are traversing local routes linking
small villages or zooming along autostrade between cities. They come
into their own to reach destinations not serviced by the trains.
Planes Alitalia
and affiliated companies provide most of the domestic air
transportation here in Italy. However, it's only worth taking a plane
within Italy if you want to cover a large distance quickly: ordinary
prices are quite high. Rome is served by two airports, Fiumicino and
Ciampino. Fiumicino is the main international airport while Ciampino to
the south is a bit closer to the city center and often served by budget
airlines.
Trains Italy is a small, compact country. It
is long and narrow, but for the most part very densely populated. This
means that the most convenient mean of public transportation is not air
transport, it's the trains. And Italy actually has an efficient railway
system that connects all main cities and towns.
There are nearly
16,000km (9400 miles) of track in the country, of which over half is
electrified. The Italian State Railways (FS) run a nationwide network at
very reasonable fares, calculated on the distance traveled, and there
are a number of excellent reductions. Whatever your destination is, the
train will take you there quickly and comfortably. All the beautiful
landscapes of Italy, the precious hills of Tuscany, covered with
vineyards, the majestic Dolomiti mountains, the blues and the greens of
the sea shores, the quiet garden, the busy towns, all framed by the
train's window will pass you by.
Buses City buses are very
cheap. Bus terminals can be anywhere in larger towns, though often
they're sensibly placed next door to the train station, but if you're
not sure you should ask for directions. Italy doesn't possess a national
bus company, although a few companies do operate services beyond their
own immediate area. In smaller towns and villages, most buses pull in at
the central piazza.
Ferries and hydrofoils in Italy Italy
has a developed network of ferries and hydrofoils operated by many
different private companies. Large car ferries connect the major islands
of Sardinia and Sicily with the mainland ports of Genoa, Livorno, La
Spezia, Civitavecchia, Fiumicino and Naples, while the smaller island
groupings, the Tremiti islands, the Bay of Naples islands, the Pontine
islands are usually linked to a number of nearby mainland towns. Fares
are reasonable, although on some of the more popular services, to
Sardinia, certainly, You must do a reservation beforehand in summer,
generally if you're taking a vehicle across.
The port of Brindisi
has a long maritime story, having provided a natural port over the
centuries for ships plying the Adriatic. These ferry operators
specialise in transport to Greek mainland and islands: Blue Star
Ferries, Agoudimos Lines, Med Link Lines, SNAV Aliscafi, Hellenic
Mediterranean, Fragline and Superfast Ferries. The prime ports of call
in Greece are Igoumenitsa, Corfu, and Patras, with sailings time of
approximately 10 hours. Turkish Maritime Lines and Marmara Lines offer
connections to Cesme in Turkey, principally once a week with a journey
time of roughly 29 hours. In season there are regular departures to
Greece throughout the day.
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