Italy 993; in southern Italy 405; in Sardinia 596, and in Sicily solely 244. They’re as a rule effectively stored up in north and central Italy, much less so in the south, the place, especially in Calabria, many villages are inaccessible by road and have solely footpaths leading to them. The speed of the trains shouldn’t be excessive, nor are the runs with out stoppage lengthy as a rule. Owing to the comparatively small amount of letters, it’s found doable to have a travelling submit workplace on all principal trains (while nearly every prepare has a travelling sorter, for whom a compartment is reserved) with no late charge being exacted in both case. In the principal towns letters may be posted in particular boxes at the top workplace just earlier than the departure of any given mail prepare, and are conveyed direct to the travelling put up workplace. Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones.-The variety of post offices (including collettorie, or amassing offices, that are quickly being eliminated) elevated from 2200 in 1862 to 4823 in 1881, 6700 in 1891 and 8817 in 1904. Despite a large improve in the variety of letters and submit cards (i.e. practically 10 per inhabitant per annum in 1904, as against 5.Sixty five in 1888) the common is significantly under that of most other European international locations.
At the top of 1907 Italy was among the few international locations that had not adopted the reduction of postage sanctioned at the Postal Union congress, held in Rome in 1906, by which the rates became 21/2d. for the first oz., and 11/2d. per oz. afterwards. European nations absorb the greater a part of Italian sea-borne commerce, whereas a lot of the passenger site visitors goes to North and South America. Comparing the state of issues in 1901 with that of 1881, for the entire country, we discover the passenger and goods site visitors almost doubled (besides the cattle traffic), the capital expenditure nearly doubled, the working bills per mile virtually imperceptibly increased, and the gross receipts per mile slightly decrease. A capital expenditure of £4,000,000 yearly was selected to deliver the strains as much as the necessary state of efficiency to be able to cope with the rapidly increasing traffic. In the south they’re uncommon, on account partly of the mountainous character of the country, and partly of the scarcity of site visitors. The insufficiency of rolling stock, and particularly of goods wagons, is primarily caused by delays in “handling” traffic consequent on this or different causes, amongst which could also be mentioned the great length of the one lines south of Rome.
Between 1875, when the primary line was opened, and 1901, the size of the lines grew to 1890 m. Domodossola to Brigue, the St Gotthard from Milan to Chiasso (the tunnel is completely in Swiss territory), the Brenner from Verona to Trent, the line from Udine to Tarvis and the line from Venice to Triest by the Adriatic coast. Besides these worldwide lines crucial are those from Milan to Turin (through Vercelli and through Alessandria), to Genoa through Tortona, to Bologna by way of Parma and Modena, to Verona, and the shorter lines to the district of the lakes of Lombardy; from Turin to Genoa through Savona and by way of Alessandria; from Genoa to Savona and Ventimiglia alongside the Riviera, and along the south-west coast of Italy, by way of Sarzana (whence a line runs to Parma) to Pisa (whence traces run to Pistoia and Florence) and Rome; from Verona to Modena, and to Venice through Padua; from Bologna to Padua, to Rimini (and thence alongside the north-east coast through Ancona, Castellammare Adriatico and Foggia to Brindisi and Otranto), and to Florence and Rome; from Rome to Ancona, to Castellammare Adriatico and to Naples; from Naples to Foggia, via Metaponto (with a junction for Reggio di Calabria), to Brindisi and to Reggio di Calabria.
The northern frontier is crossed by the railway from Turin to Ventimiglia by the Col di Tenda, the Mont Cenis line from Turin to Modane (the tunnel is 7 m. Her different ventures embrace tech investments, a haircare brand, a restaurant, and a homeware line. Simplon line (tunnel 11 m. The Po is itself navigable from Turin downwards, but via its delta it is so sandy that canals are most popular, the Po di Volano and the Po di Primaro on the appropriate, and the Canale Bianco on the left. Canals lead from Milan to the Ticino, Adda and Po. These traces exist principally in Lombardy (especially within the province of Milan), in Piedmont, especially within the province of Turin, and in different areas of northern and central Italy. Milan is crucial railway centre within the nation, and is adopted by Turin, Genoa, Verona, Bologna, Rome, Naples. The number of state telegraph workplaces was 4603, of other places of work (railway and tramway stations, which accept non-public telegrams for transmission) 1930. The telephone system is significantly developed; in 1904, 92 urban and 66 inter-city programs existed. By the act of 1903 the state contributes half and the province a quarter of the price of roads connecting communes with the nearest railway stations or landing places.