Exploring Italy by Train

This was our second visit to Parma, and there was something comforting about returning to a place with which we were already familiar. I’ve never understood why Parma is not on the average tourist’s itinerary. It is the quintessential Italian city, offering something for everyone: art galleries, museums, a theatre, interesting architecture, the birthplace of Toscanini, parmigiano cheese, and parma ham. The octagonal pink marble baptistry is my favorite, although it seems to be perpetually encased in scaffolding and netting as restoration is done on the building completed in 1260. The streets are literally clogged with bicycle traffic. We enjoyed sitting at a sidewalk cafe in the old town center during the early evening, when it seemed that everyone in town was out for the passagiata, a traditional evening stroll. The Italians had won a major international soccer tournament, and there was a riotous celebration in the streets that lasted well into the night. The Italians certainly take their soccer seriously!

The next leg of our journey would take us through the Apennines to the Ligurian coast, where we were to spend a few days in Cinque Terre, five fishing villages along the rocky, mountainous Mediterranean coast which have only recently been “discovered” by American tourists. They do not allow cars in these towns, so we had bypassed them on previous trips, but I had long wished to visit. Our trip took us through dozens of tunnels, offering scenic mountain views in between. We switched trains in the city of LaSpezia, needing to take a small local train to our destination, Monterosso al Mare. While we waited for the train, we decided to save ourselves time by calling ahead for a hotel room. After trying a few places without luck, the desk clerk at the third hotel said they were full but he had an apartment we could rent. The price was reasonable, and although we were somewhat apprehensive, the prospect of staying in our own apartment was intriguing, so we agreed.

Monterosso is the furthest west of the five towns. The train tracks hugged the mountainous coastline, but much of the time we were in tunnels, with only very brief glimpses of the small coastal towns along the way. An incredible story told by an American couple in our car made the trip pass quickly. They were traveling with very large pieces of luggage, and at one station they tossed the largest suitcases aboard, and as they turned to grab the rest of their belongings, the doors slammed shut and the train took off. After hearing what they went through to retrieve their luggage, I never again doubted the wisdom of traveling lightly.

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