Cartolina: My Experience with the Postal Systems in Rome and Vatican City

It's no secret that I love postcards. They are, to my mind, the best souvenirs you can give or receive. They have the ability to capture and freeze a period in time, often a special occasion. Postcards can be personal and as individual as you want to make them, and frankly... who doesn't love to receive things in the mail? ;)

On my Sept 2016 Italy trip, I decided that instead of buying keychains, I would send postcards to loved ones and fellow postcard enthusiasts. This is what I learnt, broken down by the relevant cities:

Vatican City
I did a tiny bit of research before I left, and one tip I learned was that the Swiss-run postal system in Vatican City was generally faster than that in Rome. I thought this was quite a curious as Vatican City, a country in its own right (the smallest in the world, in fact) is located IN ROME. So, as an experiment, I sent two batches of postcards: one batch from Rome and one batch from Vatican City.
My experience at the Vatican post office was really good. I went in on a Thursday evening, after a tour through the Vatican Museum and St Peter's Basilica. If you're facing the Basilica, the post office will be on your left, near the steps leading towards the Basilica. It has two bright yellow 'Poste Vaticane' postboxes at its entrance, so you can't miss it.

There were many counters, so the wait wasn't too long, even though the post office was crowded with tourists. The staff were friendly and accommodating... I doubt it's easy to deal with tourists who don't speak your first language and working in a persistently crowded environment, so bravo! There were a few tables and seats for people to write their mail, but I had already pre-written mine that morning #efficiency. Postcards, first day covers, posters, commemorative plates, rosaries and an assortment of Vatican related products were available for purchase in the post office. No photos were allowed inside of the post office.. probably to get the crowd moving. # EFFICIENCY!

The stamps (francobolli) I was issued all featured the Pope. Stamp prices (tariffe) were displayed quite prominently and varied according to regions of the world. For a standard postcard weighing less than 20g:

  
       Europe: €1,00

       Asia, Africa, Americas: €2,30

       Oceania: €3,00

Unfortunately, despite a slightly heftier charge, the postcards I sent to Asia and Australia arrived later than the ones I sent from Rome... some of them have yet to arrive after 2.5 weeks, although the one I sent to the UK arrived within a week!

Rome
After such a great customer experience at Poste Vaticane, I neglected to do enough research before going to Poste Italiane. STARK DIFFERENCE. As I was staying near Roma Termini, the main train station in Rome, I went to the branch at the station on a Friday morning. The entrance is located along the outer wall of the train station building, on Via Marsala, and the signs are bright yellow with blue font.

On the inside, there was a machine to dispense numbered tickets. The machine gave me an option to choose an English speaking counter, but this was totally pointless as the staff member at the counter couldn't/didn't want to speak English and really couldn't be bothered to properly explain what the stamp costs were. At first, she said that the postage cost to Asia and Africa were €2. And then she said the Australian ones were €2,30... and then she said €2,90... and that the amount I had paid for the Asian ones was not enough. I tried to communicate with her in whatever broken Italian and sign language I could muster, but she just shrugged her shoulders and looked disdainfully away. Finally, she came up with a total figure of €25.

In my confusion and desperation, and because I had a train to catch, I paid the full amount... but boy, did I feel cheated. She didn't even give me any stamps! She processed the postcards through a machine that printed some kinda barcode on the upper right corner, where the stamps were supposed to be. WHY SEND A POSTCARD IF THERE IS NO STAMP?! D: AND she didn't even bother asking me if that was ok or notifying me if the stamps were not available GAHH WHY YOU DO LIKE THAT.

There were no price lists displayed anywhere in the post office and the counter lady said there were no receipts. You would think that such a busy station, which receives thousands of international visitors would have better customer service.....

On top of the communication and pricing issues, the wait was really long (more than 15 mins) considering there were only 5-6 customers and 4 counters open. The numbered ticket system was also pointless because some customers without a ticket would just barge ahead to any empty counter and the counter staff... yet again... couldn't care less and would just serve them. What a way to start a sunny Friday morning...

After returning from Italy, I decided to check out the Poste Italiane website properly. Thank goodness for Google Translate... the whole website is in Italian....... Here's the pricing list for regular post. Standard postcards, which weigh less than 20g are priced at:

       Europe: €1,00

       Asia, Africa, Americas: €2,20

       Oceania: €2,90

Prices for heavier letters and postcards like the oversized or folded ones are listed on pg.7 of that pricing list.

I calculated that my total should have been €24,80.... and I know the difference is only 20 cents but it's the principle of the matter. Why cheat a customer out of 20 cents??? Whyyy? I hate using stereotypes, but that dishonest, cheating Italian scoundrel stereotype popped into my head and tarred an otherwise lovely experience in Rome. In the 10 days I was in Italy, this was the only instance when I felt this way.

Florence
While I didn't send any postcards from Florence, I did notice that the postcards available for sale here were generally cheaper (some were as cheap as 30 cents) and creative/artistic ones were available everywhere. Had I not overspent my postcard budget earlier in my trip, I would have sent some from Florence too.. Maybe even sent one to myself!