FoggyEthan

I'm trying to find out if the Vicenza train station has left luggage, and if so whether they have size limits, time limits, and what their opening hours are for May.

This seems like the kind of thing that's almost impossible to verify without being there in person, but hopefully someone here has recent experience.

FYI I have done my research and gotten completely contradictory answers. I've seen posts in various forums saying yes, but not recently. I found a news article in Italian suggesting it had been closed for security reasons related to a nearby US military base. I found, buried deep in trenitalia's website, a page that shows left luggage in Vicenza, but who knows how out of date it is. I contacted a guide based in nearby Verona who absolutely insisted that there would be one open all day and night taking all sizes of luggage. Then I contacted Vicenza's tourist information center who told me that there is no left luggage.

So, I'm skeptical and looking for something authoritative. Anyone?

Thanks,
-- Ethan

kybourbon

It shows yes for Vicenza on this part of Trenitalia.

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...0080a3e90aRCRD

If you click on the information under centrostazioni (home page of FS on Trenitalia), it does not list left luggage as a service.

http://www.centostazioni.it/cms/v/in...003f16f90aRCRD

kybourbon

Some stations that don't have left luggage in tourist areas have an arrangement with a nearby hotel and will often have info about it near the ticket window. Perhaps you could e-mail a few hotels near the station.

FoggyEthan

Thanks for your suggestion of contacting nearby hotels -- I'll give that a shot.

rineurope

This post has a list of all the "Left Luggage" facilties at train stations and airport terminals in Italy - Good Luck!

http://tinyurl.com/Left-Luggage

FoggyEthan

Thanks for the link. Unfortunately it currently seems like the left luggage closed last year at some point, and trenitalia is not the most prompt about updating their site. But it's still unclear.

I did try calling a couple of nearby hotels, but they both said no.

kybourbon

Sometimes there are other options such as bus hubs. In Siena, the train station doesn't have left luggage, but the ticket office for the buses (a couple of miles from the train station) under Piazza Gramsci does offer the service. There are lots of bike rentals in Vicenza. Perhaps one of them would provide storage. If not, it seems your closest option is Padova. It's only 15 minutes away by fast train or 20-25 by the slower, cheaper trains although their info is contradictory on the website also.

FoggyEthan

Contacting the bicycle rental places wasn't an idea I'd considered -- I'll give that a shot. Also the bus depot.

According to (am I allowed to say this on Fodors? 8-) Rick Steves, the only place for baggage storage is a youth hostel on the far end of town. So that's probably not a win.

BTW, checking the train schedules, on 5/13 and 5/14 (my dates of interest) there is a strange gap in the 9AM range from Padua to Vicenza. There's an 8:48 train and a 10:18 train. Between there are a couple buses that take 40 minutes.

But from Verona to Vicenza there's no such gap, which might be easier for us not-so-morning-people.

kybourbon

Trenitalia shows buses instead of trains between those times. Buses depart Padova at 9:10, 9:51, 9:55 (2.95€), but they seem to take twice as long as the train.

You might also search the Lonely Planet Thorntree forum as that is more backpackers/younger travelers. There might be more info about the hostel storage and other suggestions.