I flew from the US to Bologna via Frankfurt and arrived late morning. I had no plan to visit Bologna, but this was where the bike rental was, so I decided to make the most of it. My plan was to get the bike, pack the panniers, and do a practice ride in the hills around Bologna to get used to the equipment. Then I'd enjoy some fine Pasta Bolognese before heading to my overnight bus and going to sleep.
Well, that was the plan. Which mostly happened like that. Just add stress, frustration, hunger, and getting extorted 75€ of my hard-earned cash.
Where was I...
Oh yeah, I landed in Bologna and headed to the city center to pick up the bike. There was a 7€ bus that ran the 4 miles from the airport to the center, but being a frugal traveler, I felt this was excessive given the short distance. I learned that a 1/2 mile (800 meter) walk from the airport would take me to a bus stop where a local bus would pick me up for only 2€. 5€ savings for a 10 min walk? That's like an entire antipasto! I was told that tickets can be purchased from the tobacco store next to the bus stop, but it was closed. "I'll just pay when I board the bus", I thought to myself. The bus arrives, and I board with my luggage behind a few others who pass the bus driver without paying and sit down. The driver is behind a glass partition and there's nowhere to pay. "Nobody is paying," I think to myself, "maybe they come around and collect the fare later, like in Thailand?"
We head downtown, people get on and people get off. I almost get off near the end, but decide that I can save 5 minutes of walking by going one more stop. Well, at that next stop, the back door doesn't open. The bus just sits there. Then 2 people come onboard with badges and iPads, checking everyone's ticket. "How does everyone already have a ticket?" I think. Then they come to me. "Biglietto" he says, so I casually hand him 2€, thinking all is well. He yells at me in Italian. I give him another euro. He yells more, and when it's clear that I don't speak Italian, he switches to English. Tells me to hand over my passport. "Well, that escalated quickly!" I say to myself, wondering what the problem was. Does this guy want my bus fare or not?
Long story short, I had to pay a 75€ fine for not pre-paying my bus fare. Apparently, in Bologna, you have to buy your bus ticket at the supermarket, tobacco store, etc. BEFORE you board. Never experiencing such a system, I try to explain that I had no way of knowing this, but since these people are employed solely to collect fines from people like me (and speak English because most of us are probably tourists who don't know better), he had no reason to let me go. It didn't help that the way he explained the fine, he implied that if I did not pay him on the spot the price could get higher later - I thought he was shaking me down for a bribe. I knew that Italy can be very corrupt, so I try negotiating with him, which leads HIM to accusing ME of trying to corrupt him. Did I mention that I had just arrived on a redeye where I had a middle seat in the back of a plane for 8 hours without much sleep, and hadn't eaten that morning either? If I didn't have my luggage I may have made a run for it, but reality set in and I did not want to ruin my vacation before it even started.
I've since spoken to friends who experienced this same issue in other Italian cities. So, if you're in Italy, always buy a bus ticket BEFORE boarding! If you don't have a ticket and the bus comes, apparently you're out of luck. I know, it's a bad system.
So instead of saving 5€, I ended up losing 75€. And I had landed in Italy less than an hour earlier. I felt like I had been robbed. I'm writing this over a year after it happened, and I'm still bitter about it.
I finally got my bike! Here it is with everything I'd be living with for the next week.
After handing over my cash I was left alone, and I went to get my bike. The panniers were a bit smaller than I had imagined, but still pretty heavy when I loaded them up with everything. I was able to leave my duffel bag in their office, and before long I was out in the world with my bike. It immediately dawned on me that I had never practiced riding with 25+ pounds of gear on the back of the bike. It took getting used to, but fortunately I started to get the hang of it. At one point, the chain came off and I got down and dirty trying to fix it. I was exhausted. An old woman passing by tried to help in Italian, but it was no use. (The next time this happened and I was had a clearer head, I figured out that removing the panniers and flipping the bike upside down makes fixing the chain much, much easier.)
The old city of Bologna on a Saturday night.
Soon it got dark, and I was alone watching Saturday night crowds descend on the city. People partying, eating, enjoying themselves. I couldn't find a table to eat because they were all reserved (or they just didn't want to give it to a solo American). In Italy, people take their time when they eat, so it's common for a party to reserve a table for the entire evening. Getting extorted earlier in the day combined with exhaustion and hunger made me depressed. "Why am I here?" "Why didn't I just go to a beach?" "Will I have the strength to ride 400 miles with these heavy panniers on the back?" I went to several different restaurants before I finally found one that would let me eat there. Fortunately, the food was good (or I was too tired to judge). Eventually I made my way to the bus station, waited with all of my equipment until half past midnight, and got the hell out of Bologna.
The Italians may have an wasteful and predatory bus fare system for new visitors, but at least they have great food.