Understanding Train Travel in Italy

After an extraordinary day on Thursday during which time I reconnected with long lost cousins who I hadn't seen in perhaps 30 years, I eagerly looked forward to doing a show I always wanted to do. As I explained on the broadcast, I hate driving in Italy, but once I am securely ensconced in my seat on the train, really relax in the warm embrace of a smooth ride to wherever. My goal was to spend perhaps fifteen minutes talking about some of my favorite experiences, good and bad, of train travel in Italy during the past 22 years. There have been scores of train rides from and to practically everywhere, exposing me to numerous experiences. The goal of that segment was to rather selfishly relive some of the happiest moments of my Italian travel experience, and despite the fact that some of the negative experiences seemed at the time to be rather disturbing, are an integral part of my life leading up to this moment.

I then planned the rest of the show to explain the entire process of train travel including all the minute elements that a person must go through until they finally sit back and enjoy a great ride. One of my biggest challenges has always been determining the correct train, time of  travel, obtaining tickets, finding the train at the station, and then trying very hard to place myself on the platform near the correct car and then find my seat. The final part of that can be very harrowing, especially when hundreds of people are also trying to do the same thing at the same time. There is not more aggravating experience than competing with so many people trying to find their seats on a narrow car. The Italian Rail System, Trenitalia, has made it much easier lately to find your car and one of my goals was to explain that process.

I hope I succeeded in making train travel in Italy easier for people, and perhaps Alan's Italy Show # 96 will become a beacon of light for people seeking to plan their own trips to and around this great country.

Meanwhile I eagerly await the show in two weeks which will focus on all aspects of Pompeii through the expert eyes of Professor Eve D'Ambra of Vasser College. After a two-year hiatus, Eve is back to guide us all through the amazing story of one of the great tragedies in history which has been translated into one of the most fortuitous events. The more Pompeii is uncovered, the greater becomes its glory, as people all along the spectrum from tourists to experts use the remains of the town to understand more about the Ancient World. I hope this will be a harbinger of things to come with Eve participating more on the show.