The journey through the Swiss and Italian Alps is spectacular. Snow-topped mountains, waterfalls, green valleys, and deep-blue lakes. Over bridges and through tunnels, the train twists and turns it's way through the mountains.
Slowly but perceptibly, things start looking less "germanic" and more "italianate". We pass through Zug, Airolo, Bellinzona. The terrain flattens out a bit and the train picks up speed. We cross the Italian border. One final stop in Como before arriving in Milan.
Laura gets a skipping break in Milan Central Station. It's good to stretch the legs after 8 hours sitting on trains. Unfortunately we will not have enough time to visit Il Duomo. I have fond memories of climbing up to the roof as a teenager, and the hundreds of larger than life-sized statues that line the edges of this cathedral.
Time to board our next train, from Milan to Ancona. We pass the time playing scrabble and Laura (... with a little help) uses all her letters in one go. 93 points! The train flies past Riccione. I blinked and nearly missed it. It feels funny going past Riccione without stopping.
Soon we arrive in Ancona. The area around the train station is not particularly nice and it turns out to be a long walk to the hotel, hauling our bags. At last we come to the Hotel Roma e Pace. It is everything the reviews said: charming, grandiose, delapidated. A lot like Italy itself. It feels good to be here.
Later we wander through the town and find a nice restaurant for dinner, but we are too tired to really enjoy it and not nearly as hungry as we thought. We don't even manage a desert!
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