"When in Rome, do as the Romans do." However, this is not the case in Roman subway stations. Most locals possess a monthly subway pass or something and don't have to swipe it when entering the subway. On my first visit to a subway, I had difficulty operating the ticket machine, so the security guard motioned for me to just go ahead without a ticket. The next time I entered a station, I noticed that most passengers just waltzed through without buying or swiping a ticket. My friend and I followed this routine and on the third day of our three day stay, we were busted for not having a ticket upon exiting the subway. The police officer spoke little English, only enough for us to understand that we owed 50 Euro each or we'd be spending time in an Italian jail. After paying the fine, we discussed this with the desk guy at our hostel. Apparently, if you cannot pay the fine, they aren't allowed to take you to jail (the police officer lied to us), but the fine is doubled. How can they force a fine upon a foreigner who's leaving town the next day? The hostel worker is like 2,000 Euro in debt to the "subway police" and said that the police rarely track down locals. Word to the wise: Always buy a subway ticket. If you forget to and get caught, tell them you don't have the money.
Leave a Comment
Rome
email me
add as friend
on Nov 8, 2005
Comments for montvalian about Rome