ITALLY - BENO TRAVEL GUIDE

Introduction

Itally is a large country with hot weather, which has interesting things to see. It is a mixture of some posh areas and some very run down areas.

Things to see

Itally has a varied selection of things to see.

Interesting transportation

Itally has some interesting local transport in some citys. For example Rome has 1940s trams, an interesting narrow gauge railway, and a spooky railway heading up north. Usually it isn't the main railways or metros that are the highlight, but is the small branch lines and obscsure parts of the metro system. Some citys have very knackered transport such as the narrow gauge railway in Naples, which is very interesting to see.

Knackered, trashed and vanderlised trains at a platform in Naples and on the platform opposite regular trains were operating like normal like nothing usual had happened.

Urban Exploration

Itally has its share of urbex sites, but you made need some local knowledge to visit places.

Travel advice

Travelling to new places is an amazing experience and is one of the most rewarding things you can do. But when travelling there are often things you need to be aware of. I have written this travel advice because I have not been happy with the travel advice from other websites and guides which are often formulaic and unhelpful. All travel advice on my website is from my own experince when travelling.

With each country in my travel guide I have rated 9 key areas and compared them to the United Kingdom. This way you can get an accurate impression of the situation.

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Money

The currency is the Euro. Cards can be used in most places. In the modern day you unlikly to need to withdraw cash apart from certain things where card inferstructure is lacking.

Travel price

130% compared with UK

Despite some parts of the public transport being in a bad state, the ticket prices are high, and are often confusing. Be aware of very expensive prices of transport to airports. It is best to walk out of the airport and find the nearest non airport public transport.

Cooked food price

150% compared with UK

Cooked food is expensive. More expensive than other eurozone countries. Some places that look pretty run down will still charge high prices for food. McDonalds is rather expensive. There are many little pizza places where you can buy a slice of takeaway pizza, and if you search around you can find one with more reasonable prices. If you eat in a restraunt expect to pay very high prices.

Cold food price

120% compared with UK

Go to the large supermarkets where the locals go. Avoid all smaller supermarkets as they charge high prices.

Hotel price

130% compared with UK

Hotels are expensive. The best vaule places to stay are aparments that are owned by indervidual people who are renting them out to visitors to make some extra money.

Healthcare

Itally has the european model of healthcare system. People care healthcare insurance cards. If you find yourself without a card that gives you healthcare you will be refused treatment.

Crime

130% compared with UK

Itally has a lot of pickpockets. Keep your valuable safe and put nothing in your pockets.

Itally also has a lot of bag snatching from people on motor bikes. Keep your belongings closly held at all times. Crime from people on mopeds is a major problem in Itally.

There are not too many scams in Itally apart from people reselling tickets to tourist sites at greatly inflated prices. These people stand around outside the tourist sites and often predent to be staff there.

Confrontations with people

100% compared with UK

While Itally doesn't seem to have the chav culture of the UK, confontations do happen. Ordinary people in Itally get very loud if they are not happy with somthing. If someone is not happy with you they may start shouting and screaming.

Government corruption and human right infringements

200% compared with UK

Itally is famous for its problems with govement corruption. Govement corruption is institutionalised, but genrally speaking, in the modern day it doesn't affect orifdnary people unless they put themselves in a situation where it affects them. In everyday life, the only way that the corruption affects ordinary people, is that some services are underfunded (For example rubbish collection was underfunded when I visited Naples).

When visiting Itally, you will not have a problem with the mafia usless you delibratly go looking for them.

Other than mafia related incedents, human rights in Itally are roughly the same as their nabouring countries. One recent incedent of human rights breaches was where a dispute with nabouring counties over who would take in refugrees led to a life boat which had rescued refugees being stuck at see being refused to arrive in Itally.

All of the issue mentioned here are very unlikly to affect people visiting Itally.

Security guard aggression

110% compared with UK

Security are strict and are likly to get angry if they find you in their building. Screaming and shouthing is part of itallian culture, so you are likly to be screamed at.

One thing that needs to be said is how photography is hated on the railways. I have had train drivers refusing to drive their train out of the station just because I was filming the train. They were prepaird to delay their train just because of their anger towards train enthusiasts. Some train enthusiasts say that they only film trains arriving at station when they are at the end of the platform that the train comes in so that the drain driver doesn't arrive at where they are filming. Apparently train drivers and station security are known to force people to delete their photos and videos of trains.

Police aggression

120% compared with UK

The police in Itally are known to be strict.

I don't have much knowledge on itallian police to give many examples. One example is how harshly they enforced corona restrictions then the virus was first discovered in some citus in early 2020. Police patrolled the streets forcing everyone to stay in their houses. Although this might not be the best example as it was extrordianry circumstances, but the overal opinions people make of the Itallian police is that they are strict. It is unknown exactly how strict they are with urbex.

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