train strike

I was in Pisa, planning to go to Siena the following day. We went to the station to buy our train tickets the day before leaving as the queues were often very long. NO TRAINS we were told, STRIKE. We had not heard this on the national news! So we went to the Tourist Info to ask about buses; there was only one bus and you could not reserve a place on it in advance, so it was unlikely we'd get on, given that there was a train strike. Driving was not an option as we had read and heard enough about driving in Italy to be put off, and in Siena anyway, it would have been impossible. So we left our hotel there and then, having phoned our hotel in Siena to book an extra night, and got on a train to Siena. Once there, there were no buses into town because there was a bus strike on that day!! The tourist info told us that there are frequent strikes, ''every two weeks or so'', with a shrug of her shoulders! So the answer to your first question is: try a tourist office; to the second, at your own risk, and to the third, yes and yes!

There have been quite a few very recent postings on this very topic. I urge you to scroll down and find one of them. There are helpful links there. Happy travels.

Suzanne, generally most "train strikes" are planned for Saturdays at 9 PM through Sundays at 9 PM. They are usually announced 3-6 weeks in advance. More often than not... an announced train strike is "cancelled." So there really is not as much disruption as often projected. Living in Italy, we averaged perhaps 10 national train strike dates a year. Far less than most people realize. Of course, if they fall on your day of travel, and they do transpire, it can be total chaos. There are "guaranteed" routes by Trenitalia, but most are the faster, more expensive, and most direct routes. Rental car vendors do brisk business when a strike is "projected." There is no strike scheduled for 26/09/2011 at this time. But it doesn't hurt to always check in advance. You might look at this posting, Strikes in Italy, for a few links that can give you strike information.

Thank you very much for these sites and for your advice.