Monday May 2
I expected the trains to be crowded leaving Rome today after the beatification as well as the Labor Day celebrations yesterday. When I bought my ticket to Carrara, it was for standing room only. If I didn’t take it the next train left three hours later, and it would involve one or more change of trains.
As luck would have it I found a vacant seat as well as a spot for my luggage just behind me. I was hoping that no one would come in and claim my seat, or I would have had to stand and this was a four hour intercity train ride. The train was definitely full and several people were arguing about seats, but no one appeared to have my number so I just kept quiet. This was one instance where I chose to say “non parlo l’italiano.”
When you travel to small towns in Italy that are not typically tourist locations, sometimes you are the only one getting off the train. When we reached Carrara-Avenza it seemed that was true, except that I could not open the door no matter how many times I tried.
I had no option but to watch as the train departed the station, and I rode it to the next town of La Spezia. Of course the train authorities are not interested on the fact that I could not open the door, but they gladly sold me another ticket back to Carrara. At least it’s the middle of the day and not the last train at night, so the adventure continues.
The good news is the sun is still shining, it’s warm, and I’m excited to go to a place where I have never been.
margieinitaly 
I have had many train experiences in Italy – not all of them good, but all interesting.
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That looked like a “new” car so I would assume that it had a little button that you just push and it activates the doors electronically. I don’t remember ever encountering a situation when I was effectively trapped on a train. I suppose there wasn’t any type of visible manual override where you literally crank the doors open by hand? Either way, sounds like you handled it well. After the post office experiences, I see that these types of things that slow down your day are being taken in stride. Enjoy your time over there 🙂
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First snag in your extensive travels. Not bad at all, especially since you got to sit for 4 hours that you could have been standing. LOL
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