Italy

Revised: December 8, 2005


	Here are the pictures from Italia (Italy). First we start with the Capitol Roma (Rome). We also have Florence, Pisa and Venice.


	Roma


	Thanks the C. Hobbs for the pictures and text..


	The Bus Stops & Buses



	Roman Bus Stop.


	"Capolinea" = "beginning (or end) of the line". These signs don't seem to be too common; in fact. this is the only one that I saw during my three days in Rome.... (Picture to Left)

Here is the sign in greater detail. "ATAC" is the name of the Roman transit agency (*A*genzia per i *t*rasporti *a*utoferrotranviari del *C*omune di Roma = Agency for road, rail and tramway of Rome)

"Bocca Della Verita" is the name of the point of interest near the sign (all stops are named for the nearest plaza, monument, etc)

The sign is divided into vertical strips; one strip per route. Each strip has the route number, the type of service (urban, express, owl, etc.) and a list of stops. On the list, the beginning and ending stops are in bold capitals; the current stop is enclosed in a box. (Picture to left)





	This sign indicates when the next three Route #60 buses will arrive at the stop, both in terms of number of stops and in minutes.



	This is the bus plaza (Cinquecento, or Five-Hundred) outside of Termini, Rome's main train station. Beware of pickpockets!!!





	Bus layover at Piazza Venezia (near E. Vittorio monument) (NOTE: these were both taken at Pza Venezia. One of the files was mistakenly named "Pza Navona")


	here are a couple of tourist bus stop signs (Route #110 and Christian Rome tour)


	One of the bus stops near St. Peters Basilca, Vatican City. (As far as I could tell, no ATAC buses actually enter the Vatican....) (ed: I believe he is correct, of course it is technically a foreign country as well). (Picture to left)


	Roman traffic can be heavy, because the street network wasn't designed for modern traffic levels. Here is a "wall of buses" on (or near) Via Nazionale...



	ATAC bus #64 just outside St. Peters Basilica


	The back of the bus stop signs often have ads.... (ed: That is one way to help pay the bills.)



	ATAC bus near the Teatro Marcello



	Bus stop with the Vittorio Emanuele II monument in background (Piazza Venezia)



	This is the stop near the Trastevere train station...



	ATAC #92 and #62 near Piazza Fiume.


	Small electric ATAC bus near Piazza Venezia. These buses are used on routes with narrow streets and in (otherwise) traffic-free areas.


	Batelli di Roma operates passenger boats on the Tevere river. This is one of their "stops", just north of the Isola Tiberina.


	The Trams




	Roman tramway network (from a sign posted at a tramway stop)




	Rome still has a few tramway (light rail) lines left. This is the stop near the Trastevere train station...

More of Tramway #8, here near the end of the line at Piazza Argentina....
A side note: no ATAC vehicles have fareboxes. Instead passengers buy magnetic tickets at "Tabbacci" (tobacco) shops, newsstands, or similar small stores. The tickets are then machine-validated on the vehicle, with no interaction from the driver. (Beware if the stores run out of tickets....)
Ticket machines (like these two) are scattered about the system, with most of them in the subway. They often don't work....



	Notice the rails in the pavement on Photo #2. Some trams shortline right in front of the station.


	Florence


	Okay, we also get some pictures from Florence, also from C. Hobbs. Unless noted, pictures and text are by C. Hobbs.

This is a bus stop belonging to the ATAF in Florence. Each route served has a schematic diagram, and there are schedules at eye level.



	This is in a narrow alleyway called "SS Borgo". The stop name is "SS Apostoli". (ed: The problem with this picture is your eyesight.)



	ATAF #36 heading for the train station.




	This is a large bus stop across the street from the main train station in Florence (Santa Maria Novella).


	ATAF buses at the train station plaza.



This stop is served by one of the four special shuttle lines that run in the (mostly) car-free center of Florence.



	ATAF #1A leaving the train station and traveling along the fashionable Via del Giglio.


	Schoolbus (Run by the Comune di Firenze = City of Florence, not ATAF)


	The "Bussini" are small shuttle buses that operate in the center city area, where most other vehicles are restricted. There are four lines, "A", "B", "C" (electric) and "D" (conventional)




	Shuttle on line "D".




	Shuttle "B", near the Uffizi




	Shuttle "C", at San Marco Piazza


	Pisa


	The city with a tower of some fame. Pictures & Text by C. Hobbs (Maybe next time he will get the tower.)



	Two different Pisan bus stops (Above and Below).



	A bus loading area near the train station.




	One of the CPT (Compagnia Pisana Trasporti) vehicles.


	Venice


	A city without a lot of streets to run buses on, but they have them. Unless otherwise indicated, pictures & text by C. Hobbs. As you may know, most of the city of Venice has canals instead of roads. Public transit services are provided by passenger boats (called vaporetto or motoscafo)



	Basic Venice vaporetto boat dock. The "1" over the doorway indicates the route number(s) that stop here.



	Most stops have a sign listing attractions in the vicinity



	Larger stops (such as San Marco) have electronic signs indicating when the next boat is due to arrive.



	Inside the facility.



	San Marco vaporetto stop, land view.


	larger ferry boat at Lido.




	Enlargement of warning sign.



	ACTV passenger boat (vaporetto). This is running on Line #82 (Grand Canal express service)



	San Marco vaporetto stop, view from boat.



	Arsenale vaporetto dock. Lots of boats seem to lay over here....

Don't forget, ACTV runs buses too (on the "mainland" portions of Venice, such as Mestre and Lido). Here is the bus plaza near the Lido vaporetto terminal...(1,2) and view of both boats and buses from the water (3)



another bus stop in the Lido area of Venice....



	Italy-General Comments

		the agency names almost all begin with an "A" (Azienda = Agency) the buses are usually orange (or occasionally blue) there are no fareboxes. tickets are bought in small shops near the stops and validated on board inspectors are supposed to come on board and check for tickets (I never saw any) the bus stop signs are big, high off the ground, and can be very detailed official printed schedules or similar materials are almost impossible to find. beware of pickpockets... Some observations from a recent rider. I have heard #7 a lot from different people.



	Lake Como


	Lake Como is located near the northwest corner of Italy. Ferryboats (both passenger and vehicle-carrying) connect the communities along the lake shore. Again, pictures & text by Journeyman Bus Stop Hunter C. Hobbs.




	A ferryboat on the lake.




	The boat dock in Menaggio, with a ferry arriving.


	Buses also serve the towns near the lake, although finding schedules (when you need them) can be difficult. SPT Linea serves the (comparatively) large city of Como, its suburbs, and the rural area of Como Province (west side of the lake). One line even crosses the border into Switzerland, serving the city of Lugano!



	SPT Linea stop at Garabaldi Plaza, Menaggio.




	SPT Linea buses at Garabaldi Plaza.


	The Swiss Post office runs a number of bus routes throughout Switzerland. One route in particular, the world-famous Palm Express, actually enters Italy for a part of its route and stops here at Piazza Garabaldi. Here is its stop.

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