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I am WAY behind on my posts for this trip.\u00a0 I will catch up in the next two weeks, but before I do, I need to blow off some steam while the emotions are still hot!<\/p>\nI am WAY behind on my posts for this trip.\u00a0 I will catch up in the next two weeks, but before I do, I need to blow off some steam while the emotions are still hot!<\/p>\n
Before I launch into full rant mode, I\u2019d like to make a few disclaimers.\u00a0 First of all, for the most part, we are having a wonderful time on this tour-de-force through Italy, meeting some incredible people who I now consider good friends.\u00a0 Secondly, I\u2019ve been challenged by poor web-hosting service and other Internet aggravations that I couldn\u2019t have anticipated, which has sort of put me in a bad mood these last 4-5 days.<\/p>\n
Still, I\u2019ve got to let my frustrations out, and also I want to be honest with all of you who follow my blog, and let you know that it has not been all wine and opera music.<\/p>\n
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A few months ago, Beppe Severgnini wrote an article in the New York Times entitled, \u201cWhy No One Goes to Naples<\/a>.\u201d In the article, he criticizes his country for doing a bad job with promoting tourism.\u00a0 I had commented on this article in one of my pre-blog tour posts, but now I have a little more first-hand experience to add to my opinion.<\/p>\n Well, it turns out that Beppe was right.\u00a0 Some days it seems to me that Italy is doing everything it can to discourage tourists.\u00a0 And while the problem is more evident in the south, it\u2019s certainly not limited to the mezzogiorno.<\/em><\/p>\n But let\u2019s be clear: when I say that the tourism infrastructure is terrible, I\u2019m referring to the efforts of the local, regional, and national governments, and the tourist boards they represent. \u00a0Not all, of course, but certainly the majority.<\/p>\n On the contrary, I\u2019ve met many, MANY, hard-working, entrepreneurial Italians who could not be more welcoming to tourists, both foreign and domestic (I know this since we have one of each in my family).\u00a0 The sad thing is that the tourist boards that should be helping these honest businessmen and businesswomen are actually holding them back.\u00a0 It\u2019s difficult enough to start your own agriturismo, restaurant, or tour company without the government doing their best to turn away your clients.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the perfect example.\u00a0 We arrived in Agrigento on a Sunday evening and found most things closed.\u00a0 Fine, that\u2019s \u201cnormal,\u201d even for a tourist town in high season.\u00a0 Our hotel was not in the town center, so we couldn\u2019t locate a Bancomat (ATM), either.\u00a0 No worries.\u00a0 In the morning, on our way to see the Valley of the Temples, we asked the front desk clerk if we could use our credit card to buy tickets to the archaeological area.<\/p>\n She seemed almost insulted by the question, and responded, \u201cOf course!\u201d<\/p>\n Experience told me to stop at an ATM anyway, to play it safe, but the closest machine was downtown, 5-6 kilometers of winding roads in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n So we arrive at the entrance to the Valley of the Temples at about 10:00 a.m., and waited in line for a while only to find out that they do not<\/em> take credit cards.\u00a0 Or debit cards.\u00a0 Only cash.\u00a0 Really?\u00a0 In 2014?<\/p>\n The employee appeared to be put off by my tone, and she suggested that we try the other entrance.\u00a0 \u201cJust around the corner,\u201d she said, \u201cthey take debit cards.\u201d<\/p>\n Well, we walked \u201cjust around the corner\u201d for 30 minutes\u2014along a busy street, with our baby in the stroller, doing our best to avoid pot holes and random debris.\u00a0 No entrance in sight.\u00a0 We did, however, come upon the museum associated to the archaeological site.\u00a0 They apologized, but said, \u201cNo, we don\u2019t take credit cards or Bancomat here, either.\u00a0 (Despite a sign saying otherwise; see actual photo.)\u00a0 \u00a0And the machine at the other entrance hasn\u2019t been working.\u00a0 But let me call them for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile my wife was explaining the whole story, and registering a reasonable complaint. \u00a0This is when one of the employees took her firmly by the arm and escorted her to the restroom<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I don\u2019t need a restroom,\u201d my wife said. \u00a0\u00a0The employee would not be swayed, almost dragging her, apparently concerned that this reasonable complaint might escalate into a hysterical overreaction.<\/p>\n So we waited while they called the other office.\u00a0 \u00a0Finally someone said that, \u201cYES! \u00a0The Bancomat machine at the other entrance is actually working today!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGreat news!\u00a0 But where is this other entrance?\u00a0 We\u2019ve been walking for 30 minutes but haven\u2019t seen it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, well, it\u2019s another 2 \u00bd kilometers.\u00a0 Uphill.\u00a0 But there\u2019s a bus that passes every 10 minutes, and they can take you there.\u201d<\/p>\n We went back outside and waited for the bus that never came.\u00a0 Eventually we asked the guy in the nearby souvenir kiosk about it.\u00a0\u00a0 He said, \u201cYes, usually every 10 minutes the bus comes.\u00a0 But today is a holiday, so it\u2019s only once an hour.\u00a0 And you just missed it.\u201d<\/p>\n Back up to the museum we go.\u00a0 The employee must have seen the steam coming out of my ears at this point.\u00a0 She kindly offered to take us to the Bancomat in her own car and then drop us off at the entrance.\u00a0 Whether this was simply an act of kindness or an effort to avoid an international incident, I cannot say.<\/p>\n At the Bancomat, I withdrew 250 Euros, the maximum amount.\u00a0 The machine gave me five 20\u2019s and three 50\u2019s, whereas usually they just give you five 50\u2019s.\u00a0 This is an important detail, as you\u2019ll soon see.<\/p>\n At 12:00 noon, we finally arrive at the entrance to the Valley.\u00a0 At the ticket booth, I noticed a sign that said, indeed, they did not<\/em> accept credit cards, but DID accept Bancomat.\u00a0 However, under this sign was a note handwritten in large letters, \u201cSolo Italiane!\u201d\u00a0 In other words, they did accept debit cards, but only ones issued by Italian banks.\u00a0 Really?\u00a0 In 2014?<\/p>\n \u201cOK, let it go,\u201d I told myself, opening my wallet and absently placing a 50 on the counter.<\/p>\n Then the ticket booth guy looked up at me with a sour look, \u201cSorry sir, I can\u2019t accept this.\u00a0 I don\u2019t have any change.\u201d<\/p>\n In my mind, I was inventing ways to deliver a slow, painful death to this person, who just happened to be the last in long line of government workers determined to make my stay in their city as aggravating as possible.\u00a0 Then my fantasy was interrupted by someone chortling loudly and uncontrollably.\u00a0 Only after about 10 seconds did I realize that this psychotic laugh was emanating from my own mouth.\u00a0 Yes, I had completely lost it and I can only be grateful that my daughter is too young to remember the spectacle that she witnessed. \u00a0My wife, instead, was relieved to see me laughing, since she was fully ready to set the whole place on fire. \u00a0(Did I mention that she is Sicilian?)<\/p>\n Fortunately we had a 20 Euro note, so more than two hours after trying to get in, we were at last admitted.\u00a0 I can\u2019t help thinking that a less stubborn person would have given up, having traveled 5,000 miles to visit Italy, only to be turned away at the entrance.\u00a0 How sad.<\/p>\n I partially blame myself for this.\u00a0 I KNOW that you have to anticipate every possible problem for yourself, and you can\u2019t count on any help from the people who are employed to help you.<\/p>\n OK, that\u2019s enough.\u00a0 Let me now highlight the positive.\u00a0 The Valley of the Temples is truly an amazing site\/sight.\u00a0 The best Greek ruins anywhere, including Athens.\u00a0 The weather was lovely and we took some incredible photos.\u00a0 And as always is the case in Italy, the day ended with a fantastic meal.\u00a0 So all was not lost.\u00a0 But it was certainly a lot more effort than it needed to be. This post is \u201cout of sequence,\u201d and I still have things to say about my tours in Rome last month, not to mention our stops in Palermo, Erice, and Trapani.\u00a0 And I want to write more about Agrigento, but I\u2019ll wait until my temper has cooled off.<\/p>\n Lessons learned?\u00a0 Number One: always be ready for the unexpected while travelling in Italy.\u00a0 Yes, this sounds like a contradiction, but any Italian will be able to explain it to you.\u00a0 Number Two: hire a guide or some other expert to deal with these problems for you.\u00a0 This is especially true for first or second time visitors to Italy.\u00a0 Don\u2019t waste time and aggravation with these things.\u00a0 Spend a little extra money and you won\u2019t have any such stories as this to tell.\u00a0 Your only memories will be of unforgettable beauty, great food, and nice people. \u00a0All of which Italy has PLENTY of!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I am WAY behind on my posts for this trip.\u00a0 I will catch up in the next two weeks, but before I do, I need to blow off some steam while the emotions are still hot! Before I launch into full rant mode, I\u2019d like to make a few disclaimers.\u00a0 First of all, for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[95,211,66],"tags":[384,237,15,381,25],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3037"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3037\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"things](\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/agr3-292x300.jpg\")
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