In Italy, you may ride for free.

If I were daring and a cheat, I could ride trains for free in Italy. Maybe half the time, there’s no conductor to come check. To see if I have a ticket. Maybe the Italians are running their railroad on the honor system. Makes me wonder how many passengers are really honorable. Or just getting a free ride. Taking advantage of the system. I still have my honor. And buy a ticket. Always. I like the Italian train system. It’s relatively cheap. And reliable. The trains run pretty much on time. Of course, Italian trains can’t match the German trains. The Germans know how to run a spiffy railroad. With customer service and convenience  put first. The Germans announce everything over a public address system. In German and English. In Italy, you’d better know Italian. But you may not have to pay for the ride. –Jim Broede