By Christine Swan

It is my experience that Italians are enthusiastic rail users for travelling long distances. The trains and stations are busy and the fares affordable. If Romans wish to visit relatives in Sicily, they can do worse than travelling by train. It is a spectacular and unique journey which includes the train travelling inside a boat. A must for all rail enthusiasts!

Thus it was that I was hanging about in Roma Termini on a moderately warm evening in late March. As the night train pulled into the station, people excitedly sought their spot for the night. The trains to Sicily were slightly confusing. One long train travels down the mainland and then is separated into two parts – one travelling north to Palermo, the other south to Syracuse. I hoped that I was in the correct half but, when the guard checked my ticket and passport, everything seemed to be in order. I had reserved an entire room for myself as a solo female traveller, but ordinarily, three people can be accommodated in each sleeper cabin. Couchette compartments can sleep up to six. Toilets are located at the end of the carriage and each sleeper cabin had its own sink and running water. A box of essentials was provided along with bottled water. Non-essentials in the box included hotel-type slippers which I thought was quite lovely. Slippers – on a train! Although there is technically no first class carriage on my route, the bed was comfortable, everything necessary, and sometimes unnecessary, was provided by the welcoming hosts.

It was already dark when the train left the station. My carriage-mates were standing chatting in the corridor but I shut myself away. I was tired from walking so much during the day and wanted to sit down and put my feet up. I also did not feel that my conversational Italian would have stood the test in the state of tiredness that I was experiencing after spending the day walking thirteen miles around Rome.

I tried to get some sleep before the excitement of the ferry that would carry us across the Straits of Messina – the narrow strip of sea between the Italian mainland and Sicily. I did wake a little when the train picked up more passengers at Naples station. I dozed on and off until the train slowed again and the clickety-clack of the wheels on the rails became more irregular. I peeped out of the blind to see the lights of Sicily in the distance with the moon illuminating the sea from above.

An incredible view of Sicily from the mainland as my train approaches Villa San Giovanni station

The final station on the mainland is Villa San Giovanni and although the crossing is only about twenty minutes long, there is quite a bit of preparation to separate the two halves of the train and load both onto the ferry. This is a most bizarre and unique experience and certainly not something I could sleep through. I could feel the gentle rocking associated with being onboard a boat but, as it was about 4am, I decided not to get up, get dressed and go up on deck.

A train in a ferry – a most bizarre experience!

After a short while, the train was rumbling off of the ferry and I was hoping that I was indeed in the correct half and heading for Catania, my intended destination. In fact, my fears were soon allayed as the train pulled into beautiful Taormina station just as the sun was rising and breakfast was being served. A strong coffee, pastry, newspaper and boiled sweets were provided. Corridor chatting resumed so I felt brave enough to throw open my cabin door and bid a few people buongiorno. A snow-capped Mount Etna formed a magnificent backdrop for the rest of the journey, puffing steam on one side, and smoke from the other. I last visited Sicily in 1980 but I remembered this view. To live so close to such an active volcano invokes a certain level of peril and bravado, rather like driving a Ferrari.

Taormina station at sunrise

The steam, smoke, and snow of Mount Etna

As we approached Catania, my view became more urban and I gathered my bags ready to depart. It was still quite early in the morning but already becoming warm. I found my way to the impressive Piazza Universita and sat on a bench to set about doing my best to read the Italian newspaper that I had been given on the train. Some children were running around the piazza while their mother sat on the bench next to me. I had a few hours to kill so I went for a walk around the town which is almost entirely set against the magnificent backdrop of Etna.

In Piazza Universita

I then walked back to the Piazza del Duomo to see the huge cathedral and the famous Fountain of the Elephant. The enormous basalt elephant statue, u liotru, is the symbol of the city and supposedly possessed of magical powers in that he can predict the eruptions of the nearby volcano. He is very old, much beloved and very distinctive. I was rather fascinated how the traffic navigated the square without any road markings whatsoever. Vehicles appeared to be crossing in all directions, while locals and tourists wandered about the piazza. Tutto va bene – nothing to worry about!

The fountain of the elephant in the morning sunshine

Piazza del Duomo plus traffic and pedestrians – with no road markings

The beautiful Duomo

I walked up the Via Etnea and had a similar feeling to walking around Pompeii of faded glory and looking back at the past but in the present. Catania has some incredibly beautiful buildings but, the city was almost completely destroyed in a devastating earthquake in 1693 that killed three quarters of the inhabitants. I reached the remains of the Roman amphitheatre. Sadly this was closed, but still impressive even from the streets above. There seemed to a number of feral cats guarding the premises, unfazed by the tourists gazing at them, namely, me.

The cats of the amphitheatre don’t seem bothered by onlookers

The Roman amphitheatre in Catania

I returned to the Piazza del Duomo and decided that I should buy a souvenir of Sicily. I found a lovely gift shop just before the Porta Uzeda. The charming nonna working there asked me if I needed help. I told her that I was English and it soon became clear that she spoke absolutely none whatsoever. So, I relied upon my faltering Italian but, we managed quite well. She asked me which city I was from with genuine interest. It is no mean feat to explain where Worcester is in the UK but I was able to say that it is close to Birmingham and that I was originally from London. Nonna knew London and said that it was a very beautiful city even though she had never visited. I replied that I thought Catania was also very beautiful. With a dismissive gesture she showed me some possible gifts for my mother. I chose some items but was very drawn to the beautiful, hand crafted, metal puppets. I had to make the decision that they would be too delicate to transport and that a tea towel and postcards were more practical.

Porta Uzeda

It was time for lunch so I headed first to the park intending to reach the port. The sun was now at its height so the temperature had risen still further. When I walked into the park, I felt as if I had walked into somebody else’s patch. The side that I found myself in was entirely populated by older men playing chess and backgammon. They stared at me and I began to feel a little foolish. Perhaps I should have challenged them to a game? Instead, I walked on. The other half of the park was distinctly female with lots of mums and small children playing. I delighted in their laughter for a short while, and then headed towards the port.

I firstly popped into the ferry office to check the arrangements for catching the coach that would take me to Pozzallo, to catch the boat to Malta. I then sought the café in the port and bought some lunch and a coffee. Another solo traveller asked me in French if I would watch her suitcase while she used the bathroom. She then returned the favour for me. We chatted about our respective journeys and became friends in just those few moments. The practicalities of travelling alone and managing your belongings and security, does draw you towards others in a similar situation. Small kindnesses are a joy – good conversation and company, an absolute pleasure. There are enough scare stories that erode confidence and discourage women from travelling alone, however, in my experience, there is a delightful community of globetrotters who you may be lucky enough to encounter on your way.

The coach arrived, on time, and we jumped onboard to head south to Pozzallo and further adventures.

The decorative features on buildings are stunningly beautiful

All photographs taken by the author.

You can read more about the night train to Sicily here: https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/trains-to-sicily.htm

Visit Catania: https://turismo.comune.catania.it/en/default.aspx

Lots to see and do: https://www.italia.it/en/sicily/catania/guide-history-facts