I advise developing a “plan B.” Here’s my experience. Quite a number of a years ago, we were to take the train from Genoa to Nice. We had purchased tickets in advance. Before departure , I checked at the ticket counter that we had the correct time and platform number for the train to Nice. Shortly after we got underway, an announcement came on that due to a French rail strike, our train would go only as far as Ventimiglia. We quickly realized that there was nothing to do but ride it out and discover our options in Ventimiglia. More passengers got on at every station, and I wondered if they realized they wouldn’t be going to Nice. Lol.
At Ventimiglia we were all herded off the train and left to our own devices. Eventually a bilingual Australian came back to our anglophone group with the information that there would be a bus to Nice, but we’d have to pay for it. The first run was already sold out; and by the time we reached the front of the line, so was the second. (There was only a single bus.). We got a time estimate and were able to have a nice seafood meal and walk around a bit. The upside was that by the time the third run was loading, there were so few passengers that the driver gave us bargain prices to entice us.
I would be the first to acknowledge that individually owned Italian enterprises, like restaurants and inns, may have some of the best customer service in the world. However, large bureaucratic Italian organizations are a different story. Oh well. Such are the ups and downs of travel.
