• Italy: Ciao Bella
    Getting some fresh air at the door of our sleeper car — Villa San Giovanni Station.
    Getting some fresh air at the door of our sleeper car — Villa San Giovanni Station.Pulling into Villa San Giovanni, we catch a glimpse of the train ferry waiting for us.Moving past the ferry to position the train for loading — Villa San Giovanni.Still shot as the train is being loaded on the ferry ... video to follow.1Sped-up (2x) version of the clip Mui took of the train being loaded on the ferry.A quick shot of the Palermo section of the train.This section of the train will be heading to Catania once offloaded in Messina.ICN 1963 now split up into two on the train deck of the ferry.Looking down on the train deck from the outside passenger deck.A memory shot for our scrapbook to remember the train ferry trip.On our way to Sicily across the Strait of Messina.Hello Messina, Sicily.Forte del Santissimo Salvatore (Fort of the Most Holy Savior) ... as we enter the harbor — Messina.Madonna della Lettera; inscription from a letter sent by the Virgin Mary to the people of Messina.The Madonna della Lettera has been greeting visitors to Sicily since 1934.And we are off the ferry and ready to continue our rail journey.

    Train Ferry Crossing to Messina

    October 7 in Italy

    By 11:15a, we were pulling into the Villa San Giovanni Station.

    Time to get this train on the ferry!

    I was going to say that was easier said than done. But that would not be accurate.

    Yes, it took about an hour, but the process of shunting the train onto the ferry; splitting it up … in this case into just two sections; and getting everything secured worked like clockwork. It should, of course. The Trenitalia workers do this several times a day and they’ve got it all down pat.

    Once the train was secured on the tracks aboard the ferry, we were given two choices. Stay on the train … with no power to run the A/C, it was already getting quite hot in the cabin. Or detrain and go up to the passenger deck … no dallying outside the trains.

    We opted to detrain. The passenger deck worked out beautifully. Not only did we get to enjoy some fresh air during the 35-minute crossing, but we had a birds eye view down to the train deck.

    The gilded Madonna della Lettera, which has been standing at the entrance to Messina Harbor since 1934, welcomed us to Sicily. The Latin inscription on the pedestal translates as “We bless you and your city.” It is apparently a quote from a letter sent by the Virgin Mary to the population of Messina in the 42AD.

    Seeing the Madonna statue was our signal to return to the train for the off-loading. Before we knew it, we were rolling off the ferry and pulling into a platform in Messina Station … the train split into two.

    The carriages in one section would be going to Catania. The cars in our section — now operating as train #1965 — would be heading to Palermo.    Read more