Andiamo! Citalia Magazine Winter 2023

Hop on Board:
From Rome to Sicily by Rail
Slow down with a leisurely journey through
southern Italy’s historic railways. Choo choo!
Italy came late to the railway boom of the early 19th century. There
had been no appetite or indeed need to connect up the peninsula’s
very independent regions, with one exception. Italy’s oldest railway,
the 4.5 mile Naples–Portici line, was built in 1839 and today forms
part of the Naples–Salerno line. It was established as a vanity project
by King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, who desired a train that ran
from the city of Naples to his royal palace. The launch was full of
pomp, with carriages filled with dignitaries and troops. This small
railway line was hugely popular, and helped pave the way for more
lines to be built.
During the unification of Italy railway building gained pace, but most
lines were concentrated in northern Italy. However, because of Rome’s
importance as the new capital of a united Italy under king Victor
Emmanuel II, the first railway opened in the Papal States in 1856.
Travel had always been a genteel
pursuit, but when the railways came to
Italy, it opened up leisure travel to the
European middle classes too.
If you’ve not experienced the Italian railways before, we suggest you
join us on the tracks of an epic rail ride from Rome to Sicily.
Begin in Rome, known for its many Roman antiquities and Baroque
attractions, from the great Colosseum and the Roman Forum, which
was at the heart of political, commercial and judicial life in 1 AD, to the
18th century Trevi Fountain. We suggest you stay at the elegant Hotel
Nazionale, which is teeming with historic grandeur and just moments
from the Spanish Steps in an area once known as the English Ghetto.
Once you’ve had a few days exploring the Eternal City, head to Termini,
Rome’s incredible train station. This latest building was opened in 1950
and has a distinctly Italian futuristic style. It’s also one of Europe’s
busiest railway stations, with 32 operational platforms and over 800
trains departing from here each day!
Board one of the many trains heading to Sorrento, where you will
travel through the Apennine Mountains via Naples, which takes just
over an hour on one of the high-speed trains. You might like to stop
off in the city for a few hours of sightseeing and to taste that worldfamous
Neapolitan pizza.
From Naples, you can then continue on the regional Circumvesuviana
train, which will take one hour and 15 minutes to reach the coast. This
line also connects with Pompeii and Herculaneum, should you wish to
explore either of these ancient sites. Stay a few nights at the Grand
Hotel De La Ville right on the Neapolitan Riviera. You can island-hop
with a ferry across to the glamorous islands of Capri or Ischia, and
explore the Blue Grotto.
From Sorrento, it’s time to take the most unusual train experience in
Italy, as you depart for Sicily. Now, while the maps may suggest this is
an enduring train journey, the reality is far more joyful.
From Napoli Centrale, the route takes just four and a half hours and
is absolutely blissful as you chug along the coast and through some
beautifully rugged landscapes. Be sure to do as the locals do and pack
a picnic and a bottle of wine for your journey. When you reach the port
city of Villa San Giovanni, this is when the real excitement begins!
Your train is disconnected from the tracks and split in two and, after
a few groans and jolts, your carriage becomes swallowed up by a
huge white ferry! Used exclusively for trains, this impressive feat of
ferry engineering has operated since 1899. The latest fleet is hybridpowered
using batteries and solar panels, so that it has zero emissions
in the port.
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