Exploring Italy by Train

Annoyed at our bad luck, we still had an opportunity to get to Vernazza for dinner. We could catch the 9 PM train and arrive there a little on the late side, but Italians dine late so that would not present a problem. The schedule said the train left at 9 from track 1. By now we knew we had to be very cautious and keep watch for a train headed West toward Genoa at 9 PM. At 5 minutes to 9, a train pulled in on track 1 clearly marked for Genoa, our direction. Perfect! But, as soon as we boarded, the train began moving, and I saw that the platform clock showed it was not yet 9 PM. With a sinking feeling I realized it was not the right train. Asking a conductor, we discovered we were on our way to Genoa all right, non-stop. It was 1 1/2 hours past where we wanted to go. So, tired, discouraged, and very hungry, we had no choice but to settle down for the ride. In Genoa, we grabbed cold slices of pizza at a snack bar that was closing for the night, while we checked and double-checked the schedule for Monterosso. We finally reached our apartment at 1 AM. While far from the romantic evening we had envisioned when we set out many hours earlier, we had to admit it was memorable.

The next day was the last day of our trip, and we decided to spend it in Asti, a town in the heart of the Piedmont wine region. Changing trains in Genoa, we realized it was the second time in less than 12 hours we had been to this station!

It was a Sunday, and we arrived in Asti to discover the town filled with men in military uniforms with plumed hats. Fred immediately recognized them as Bersaglieri, soldiers highly revered for their bravery, like our Green Berets. Fred’s grandfather had been one, and we recalled a picture of him in that uniform. Festive posters around town advertised this weekend as the 38th reunion of the National Bersaglieri. We headed into the center of town, noticing the streets were lined with people, and realized a parade was imminent.

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