Some months ago we were booking the various train rides we were going to take in Italy and there were a few options. We settled on the Italia train system as they run high speed trains and have newer cars. We checked out the station a few days earlier so we knew where we needed to go and where the elevators were. Since everything that we own is in our suitcases we needed to use the elevator to get them up to the platform. In Japan and New Zealand we stored our two big bags in luggage storage places but this time we had them with us. This gave us some concern as there is limited storage spaces on the trains. We knew that we were in car 2 and there was a Italia train that stopped before ours and we peeked in and saw that the baggage bins were in the front of the car. So we were in position for loading when our train came into the station. There were two problems, first as I was lifting a bag up for Leslie to grab, the other bags started rolling around on their own. Second, the luggage bin was at the end of this car! Luckily one of the train attendants helped me roll the bags the length of the car and oversaw my re-arranging the bags that were already in the bins. Normally I would not want to be moving other peoples bags around but so many of them were so small and clearly should be up on the shelves above the seats. I did have to put some of our larger bags up above our seats. Once we were under way it was a smooth ride. After folks got off in Rome I took the biggest bag down and rolled it back to the luggage area before the Rome people got on the train. We watched Italy roll on by and only had seven stops in total and never had to change trains.
First stop was Napoli
Passing Vesuvius again
We then rode backwards to this stop
A reassuring message
Rome is the third stop
Florence is the fourth
Bologna is the fifth stop and the one we are getting off at
I got caught up on the blog while we were moving
There was always a mountain range along the way
Lots of farms and frilds
Nice and sunny
Small towns o the top of hills
Huge quarries
Slipping on the timetable
Hmmm, where is the time going?
Rome was pretty industrialized
No trouble here
Getting into Tuscany
More vineyards along this section
The cypress trees really like it
Always a tower or spire on the top of the hills
Crops
Mountains off in the distance
Clouding up
Overlooking the river
Odd geographical rock spires
In the taxi heading to our place
Bologna still has some of its old walls, this is one of the guard towers
With part of the wall
Nice housed along the ride
Getting schooled on the Italian electrical system
