The Eurostar trains in Italy are great. They are very fast, clean and generally on time. However, there is not enough room for luggage and the numbering system requires a university degree in train seat numbering. There are always groups of confused people hovering beside the seats trying to decide who sits where. I have seen fights break out. I will attempt to show you what I mean.
the interior of the train
I was sitting at the rear of the carriage in a single seat. That is my red suitcase. The number of my seat was 92. The single seat on the other side of the aisle was 96.
The 2 seats directly in front of me were 91 and 93. On the other side they were 94 and 95
In the row in front of that row on my side were 88 and 82. On the other side were 86 and 84. Do you get the picture? What maniac designed this???
Anyway, once you have found a place for your luggage and settled into your comfortable seat, all is good. You can gaze out of the window at the passing lovliness of Italy. I try not to fall asleep on these trips, it would be such a waste. This is some of what I saw on my 1 hour 45 minute trip from Milan to Florence.
snowy winter landscape
farmhouses whizzing by
snow on the vines – it really does look like a dusting of icing sugar
a renovator’s delight rushes past
I know the photos are not wonderful, but the trains move at over 300 kilometres an hour. They are so smooth, you have no idea how fast you are going until you run parallel with an autostrada and you can compare your speed with the cars.
The trains are an excellent way to travel between major cities in Italy. The automatic ticket machines at the stations have recently been made easier to use and are a better option than lining up in one of the very long queues to buy a ticket.
The local trains are something else entirely – some are good and others, not so good. Happy travelling.
PS. Since I wrote this post the numbering system has been vastly improved and is now much more logical.