Still Chasing the Winter Sun

Rome Termini is the main station in Rome, and the best station to use for the city centre. It’s called Termini not because it’s a terminus, but after the nearby Roman Baths of Diocletian, as the Latin for baths is Thermae. There’s been a station here since 1863.

There are thousands of travellers here,  local, regional and international. Have you ever experienced it, arriving at a major train station and watching people moving forward in anticipation of their next destination wherever it may be or entering the great cavern of the unknown. Regardless once in the building everyone becomes the same. 

Signboards of any description never carry the actual information you’re looking for, the information is there but you can’t seem to get it. I have never understood why it’s not possible to walk into Termini train station or even the airport, look up and see the illuminated signboard saying, 

“Welcome Celestina, your train departs at your convenience from platform 1. Have a nice journey and come back soon”. 

That’s not how it works at all. No! All of us enter the station with or without ticket, for those of us with, lucky us. But don’t deign to have a query or you’ll find yourself in a queue 50 long and it’s only when you’re within cooeee of the door you’ll discover you need to take a ticket. Everyone else knew, then having ticket in hand you’ll find yourself back at the end of the line. Surprising they don’t put the tickets machine at the entrance to the station, you know like the banks?

I’ve been waiting for some time, I’m on my way to Assisi so I’ve had plenty of time to observe that I’m not alone in my insecurities and that what we really want is just to ask someone who we believe will answer us kindly, pointing us in the right direction. 

I’ve been standing by one of a number passenger gates through which in this instance, is dedicated to arrivals only. There is a large red sign over the gate, “chiuso”, closed.  On either side of the gate are two signs on stands, one says “uscita” exit, the other “non vietare ingresso” entry prohibited.

No less than 20 people of varying ages and ethnicity including the locals have attempted to walk through some insisting to the official on the other side who repeatedly points up at the sign and points further down the concourse. 

His pointed finger alone says,  “See the no entry sign?” And he wiggles it from side to side like a metronome keeping rapid time. But like sheep we will continue to look at the sign and attempt to walk through the gate. The gatekeeper is never going to let them get away with it!

The truth is Termini is a huge station with lots of amenities but never enough staff to field queries because in reality no one knows where they’re going. We just want to get to our destination and we want a signboard with our name on it to make our lives easier. 

Read the signs folks and follow the instructions, it will make your lives easier! 

Ci vediamo in Assisi!