As from July 1995 the Italian railway, Ferrovia della Stato, requires all train tickets to be cancelled before boarding the train. In Italian this means CONVALIDA. Simply insert the ticket in the orange/yellow box at each platform and the franking machine will put the date, time and other totally mind-absorbing information on the edge of the ticket. At Napoli Centrale the franking machine is located at the entrance gates to the platforms. The same goes for supplements such as that paid for rapid trains and sleeping carriages. If in doubt, put it in the machine! As usual, there is a fine for failing to do so. Most Italians appear to be unaware of this new law. Plain-clothed inspectors check the tickets. During the 1995 European summer I saw for the first time plain-clothed ticket inspectors on the buses in Ischia, Italy. Needless to say they were probably on most buses throughout Southern Italy. The fine for travelling without a ticket is L50,000.
