Stories from Italy - Trains!

My heart is warm with the friends I make,
And better friends I'll not be knowing,
Yet there isn't a train I wouldn't take,
No matter where it's going.
          ~Edna St. Vincent Millay, The Selected Poetry

Our tour of Italy included three cities:  Rome, Florence and Venice. We flew into Rome's gigantic airport from Chicago on a 9 1/2 hour flight overnight. We traveled around Rome either on our feet (miles and miles of walking each day!) or in a tour bus. We watched the people who lived in Rome get around on scooters, motorcycles and mini cars. The roads were narrow, the drivers were just terrible (our guide told us that there weren't traffic rules in Italy, rather, traffic "suggestions"...) and it all resulted in a rather chaotic system of transportation within the city.

Our tour included a "high speed train" ride from Rome to Florence, and then again from Florence to Venice. Such trains do not exist in the US, and even Amtrak service is so limited we had never even tried that. We had no experience with train travel to know what to expect...

We were very pleasantly surprised!  The train station in Rome was chaotic-- many, many people rushing in all directions. We were even approached by some gypsy women (another story...) and had been warned about pick pockets. Our tour guide was able to help us find the right train on the right track and to board in plenty of time. We traveled in the first class section, as this was an inexpensive option (unlike air travel, which would have added over $7000 apiece to our airfare!). We found the seats way more comfortable than the planes or even the tour buses. The ride was extremely smooth, and unless we passed a train going in the opposite direction, we had no idea we were traveling over 120 miles per hour. There was a train attendant who passed out newspapers, then drinks and snacks (including, at no extra charge, wine or beer!) Many of our group found themselves taking a nap, given how quiet and smooth the ride was.

We traveled the back roads, which meant we saw a lot more of the industrial sides of the cities we passed through, but also were able to see lots of the rural areas. Since we were traveling through Tuscany, we saw vineyards and farms and villas... beautiful! We also went through quite a few tunnels, which Lanny says is because the trains travel fast only on level ground, so they have to go through hills rather than over them.

The trip between Rome and Florence takes about 4 hours by car. Our train got us there in an hour and a half. The trip between Florence and Venice took about 2 hours but made a few more stops along the way. We had an affordable, comfortable, scenic trip with plenty of refreshments. We arrived rested and refreshed.

I have no idea why this method of travel has not caught on in the US. Here in central Indiana we have seen train tracks pulled up and turned into bike trails. What a shame!! I am sure the expense of building such a system in our country now would be extreme. I'm pretty sure we won't see high speed train travel here in the USA any time soon. But Lanny and I both agreed it is a wonderful way to travel and should we make it back to Europe, we'll hope to include it in our travel plans again.