At some point in Italy, you will be obliged to take the bus. Here you will encounter two opposite – but equally incredible – phenomena. The buses will either come all at once, (two or three bumper to bumper) or you see one after another racing by on the other side of the street, while yours is desolately deserted.
After a good thirty-five minutes, you are already twenty minutes in ritardo (late), and decide to start walking. It is exactly when you are halfway between one stop and the next that you hear the rumbling of the bus behind you. Indeed, this is the best technique to use in order to make the bus come along.
This is one of the situations in which Italians “non sanno se ridere o piangere” (don’t know whether to laugh or to cry.) You choose the first option (more fun), and start running while laughing like a madman.
Of course, the doors close in the exact moment you reach the stop. You’re in Italy, so do what all Italians do… start banging on the doors! (Also fun, even if often futile.) The bus’ doors finally open, and you squish your way inside, “scusi scusi” (pardon me x2) to one and all as you step on everyone’s feet (unavoidable). When you finally reach your destination (c.a. one hour later), you will tell your exasperated but understanding patient friends that “mi sento come una sottiletta” (I feel like a slice of that insipid individually plastic-wrapped cheese-like product).
At least its good exercise!
-- Contributed by Valentina Nesci, writer, American University of Rome Senior, Italian Notebook Editorial Intern.
March 4th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Very funny and so true! I learned to walk and enjoy the scenery instead of playing “wheel of fortune” with the bus system.
March 4th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
How I laughed…this is so true! Bozetto has a wonderful clip spoofing that very situation. It is worth watching,to lighten your day.
jojo
March 4th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
You got that right! After 3 years of mezzi publicci I certainly got my exercize running for the bus and my shares of laughter and tears witnessing all of the above. Great note.
March 4th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
I lived in Italy (Rome) for four years and your article is so right on target. I laughed till I cried! Thanks for sharing…the article was great!!
March 4th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
OH MY GOSH THIS IS SOOOOOOOOOOO TRUE!!!! I have been here EIGHT years and seen it and lived it more times than I care to remember!
March 4th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
I really enjoyed this as it has happened to me.
I do miss having the photos larger. There is so much blank space on the page.
March 4th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Barbara, if you click on the title of the emailed note, it will take you to the note on the website (here), where the images are bigger.
Enjoy!
March 4th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
I don’t want to brag but….I spend every summer in Trieste and I want to say I never experience frustration regarding public buses. Acutally I don’t rent a car while in the city and rely on public transportation to go anywhere including the beach. The buses are great!
March 4th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Wow, not my experience at all with the buses in Perugia. Except for the crowding when students were going home after school. Usually one could count on a bus within one or two minutes either side of the schedule. My only trauma on the bus was when the “bus police” locked us all in the bus and checked that we had all paid our fare before one by one we were allowed off the bus.
March 4th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Loredana, right you are! There are many places in Italy where the bus system is quite efficient. Unfortunately, not Rome where Valentina and I are from. :-(
March 4th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
I loved the note having lived through it on most of my 13 trips to Italy.
I thought I had better let you know that for some reason the ad on the right of the note does not show up for me. This has not happened bfore this week. Now it has happened for three day. Maybe its the ad for Tuscan Holidays that my computer doesn’t like. Every thing else is fine.
March 4th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Great article, great pictures. I took the 201 or 301 buses from Ponte Milvio to the 10th kilometer of the Via Cassia, to get to school and then back home, throughout my junior high and high school years. Sometimes the bus was a bit late but giving myself just a few minutes of leeway, I always made it to school on time, so I had (and have) no serious complaints. Your article brings back some really great memories! Makes me homesick!
March 5th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
Ma com’e`possibile, che tutti scrivano in inglese, anche gli universitari. Io suggerirei che la colonnina sia scritta in Italiano.Tutti gli altri lettori possono tradurla, se gli e` necessario farlo.Divertiti.Ciao
March 6th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
OMG! I have such memories of this exact thing happening to me while living in Firenze! I am laughing right now thinking of it! Italian Notebook should have links that the bottom of each note so you can share them on different sites for other friends who would appreciate the notes! Delicious, Facebook! I know we all enjoy these memories… others will too!
March 14th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
Chicago, Illinois has adapted the very same bus schedule!!
March 18th, 2009 at 3:06 am
Great story, told with wonderful irreverance.
I recently saw a travel documentary following a bus driver who ran a daily shuttle up and down the Amalfi Coast. Dio Mio! This man had no fear and ran the single lane, cliff hugging track like a race car. God help all and sundry approaching from the other direction!
March 18th, 2009 at 3:15 am
[...] of being sempre in ritardo, I stumbled across this fabulous story in italiannotebook.com, about the perils of italian bus travel, told with wonderful humor and [...]