Is Milan Station Doing A Kings Cross?
Milan Centrale station is a very grand affair.
But it would appear that the square in front is getting a makeover similar to that at Kings Cross in London.
On the other hand a lot of squares in Italy use different coloured marble and other stone for effect. So perhaps it’s Kings cross that is the copy.
Welcome To Milan
The tourist office in the station was shut.
In the end, I took the Underground to the Duomo and then found that my hotel was by the station, so I had to come back.
I know there was a lot of building work going on, but surely some maps and posters around the station would have helped. Surely, Milan only has to look two stations down the line to Genoa.
I did fill in the survey, but there was no place for comments.
Would I Go Back To Turin?
As I said Turin was very disappointing and only if an event like a football match was taking place, in which I was interested, would I go.
I nearly ended up in Turin several years ago. In this post about Venice, I start with.
I’ve been to Venice many times, including once at New Year and another time to give a software demonstration at Verona. The latter ended in my giving someone a tour of Venice in the dark. As he had left before first light in the morning, I suspect he’s one of the few people to have seen the city, but not in the light.
But that is only part of the story of the software demonstration.
I had done the presentation in Cambridge and one of the attendees there had worked for the Department of the Environment. He asked if I would like to do the presentation to some Italian civil servants in Turin on the day after the August Bank Holiday. At the last minute it was switched to Verona, so I never got to Turin!
After the Verona meeting the Department of the Environment man, was driving to Rome to see other Italian officials and then meet his wife for a holiday. Hence the reason we ended up in Venice, as after all is there a better place to stay in that part of Italy.
One other memory of that trip was being given a large handful of lira or was it euros for expenses.
So I made a good profit on the trip.
From Turin To Milan
I was glad to leave Turin for Milan.
I was comfortably in First Class, virtually by myself for €34.50.
There is a high speed route, but my train took the traditional one.
One point to note about Italian trains is that most of their stations are termini, where you often have a long walk down the length of the train to get to your carriage. You realise how good the loading is at Kings Cross and the three major Eurostar termini, where you can use a bridge to get to the middle of the train.
An Italian told me a few years ago, that depending on the journey, he sometimes travels First Class and sometimes travels Second, just to avoid walking the full length of the train twice, as some journeys have intermediate stops, where the train actually reverses.
The Iconic FIAT Factory At Lingotto
The FIAT factory at Lingotto is best remembered in the UK for its appearance in the Italian Job. I just had to visit.
I couldn’t find out how to get on the roof to see where the Minis had outrun the Italian police, so I explored the rather boring shopping centre and then returned to the centre of Turin to catch my train to Milan.
The Turin Metro
The Turin Metro is not a big system, although it is being expanded.
Unlike the system in Genoa, it doesn’t serve the main part of the city centre, although it does link up the main train stations.
Like London’s DLR it is driver-less and surely in a few years time, all metros will be this way.
Would I Go Back To Genoa?
Genoa was a total surprise and the icing on the cake, was the old city, with its Aladdin’s Cave for coeliacs.
I will definitely go back. It would be a very good starting point for a trip round Italy.
One of the great advantages is the lack of tourists. But sadly, they will discover it!
No Small Waters In Italy
i drink a lot and usually carry a small bottle of water. In the UK, I often have one of the standard small 330 ml. bottles of Harrogate Spring Water, that seem to be ubiquitous on trains, in my pocket.
330 ml. bottle of Harrogate Spring Water
But in Italy finding small bottles of water was very difficult. Even half litres ones were difficult to find in some places.
Even those weight half a kilogram and unlike the small ones, they don’t fit in a pocket.
Piazza De Ferrari
The Piazza De Ferrari is the magnificent main square of Genoa.
On one side is the Palazzo Ducale and there is a bronze fountain in the middle. The restaurant I visited is perhaps a hundred metres away and it has its own Metro station.
Aladdin’s Cave was at one side of this square.
Exploring Genoa
Genoa surprised me and I spent a very enjoyable two hours walking through the old city.
The area of Genoa that I explored was well laid out for tourists, with lots of maps and signage. Every street too, seems to have a proper name on the wall, which is something unique in many parts of Europe.
But tourists were rather thin on the ground and I only saw one organised party. So perhaps you should visit Genoa before it builds more hotels and get discovered.
The Anonymous Widower 