After a long spell of not travelling and not travel writing it has been good to get back to it by way of a train journey to Italy and back. I still find it a marvel that one can get from London to Nice or Turin in twelve hours of sitting in a comfortable chair, reading, listening, writing or just enjoying the view, while someone else does the driving.
Writing my journal in Turin's most fashionable café (very expensive but delicious chocolate cake) or,
At Baratti & Milano Torino
Writing my journal on a stone bench by the banks of the River Po, with graffiti for inspiration (very cheap).
Photo Credit: Adrienne Higham
While travelling, I very much enjoyed reading Italian Ways by Tim Parks. Parks has lived and worked in Italy for more than 30 years. He knows and loves the country. Basing his book on the idiosyncrasies of Italian Railways, he shares many aspects of life in Italy with the reader. Ideal reading for an Italian train. I also took D H Lawrence's Twilight in Italy but found it very hard going and abandoned it.
It's good to be back. More writing to follow.
We travelled with the excellent Great Rail Journeys
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