Florence – Venice Mestre – Villach – Vienna – Budapest
On the Eurostar from Florence to Venice, the conductor stops to chat with us as he collects tickets. “I live up in those mountains,” he says, pointing out the train windows, 15 minutes outside of Florence.
“These are some of the oldest mountains in Italy, and they are slowly eroding and getting smaller,” he continues in near-perfect English, but with a charming Italian accent. “It’s the quality of life here that gives this region its feel. It may be difficult for a tourist to feel in a short visit. But let me tell you that each morning, I wake in the hills and have the milk of my cows and biscuit from my neighbors as breakfast. For lunch, we eat home-made pasta and vegetables from my garden. Before dinner we visited the village butcher. I’ve never been sick in my life.” He looks longingly at the mountain villages as they pass by, and now, so do we.
Train Tip: Buy your seat reservation BEFORE boarding the Italian Eurostar, to save money. On board, a seat reservation costs 22 Euros. But at the station, the seat reservation will cost only 15 Euros.
Benjamin Thomas
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