Glad to be here !

[bluesmoke]

Hello there,
nice to be onboard, this looks to be a lively web site.
About myself I live in Romford and in Co Durham, and normally
take holidays perhaps twice a year to Italy.
In September we will be going to Bologna for a week,
it looks a good position to vist various places using the train
network (what good value it is compared to U.K !).

Bluesmoke...

[Nielo]

Welcome Bluesmoke, I hope you enjoy both the forum and your trip to Italy. :)

[Gala Placidia]

Welcome Bluesmoke, I also love Bologna, beautiful city and not too full of tourists. Enjoy the Forum.

[bluesmoke]

Yes thanks for the welcome,
The reason I joined the forum was to ask a few questions about life in
Italy, this is due to recently reading the book 'Vroom with a view' I dont know
if you have read it, concerns a guy who hits the mid life crisis.....buys a 1961
Vespa and rides from Milan to Rome, its an interesting book.


Gerry. (bluesmoke)

[Chris Newton]

Great book, enjoyed it very much. Think I would try something a bit bigger than a 125 vespa something with some punch. Welcome to the forum. I did read a book by another guy 'Italy top to toe' I think it was called. A chap on a scooter starts out in the south and travels up country calling at various towns sampling the culinary delights. Very interesting if you are a foody (whatever level) I'm in the UK at the moment so can't look at the book to tell you who the author is. If the forum works as well as usual some kind member will reply as soon as this is posted.
Ciao Chris

[alan h]

Originally Posted by bluesmoke

.......... we will be going to Bologna for a week,
it looks a good position to vist various places using the train
network .................

The best website that I've found for train times anywhere in Europe is the German Railways site on;-

TravelService - Query page


Hope it is of some use to you

.

[Noble]

The book by the foodie on a Vespa is by Matthew Fort. (Guardian food writer). He's written an excellent similar book about Sicily on a Vespa too. If you want a good summer read that includes the Bologna station bombing in the story, then try The Fall of a Sparrow by Robert Hellenga. I too love Bologna as often landed at the airport there and "wasted" time in the beautiful city until time to catch a train to Umbria.

[elliven]

Welcome and have a great holiday. I like Italian railways too and just as an aside you can get to Bologna, at least in the summer from I think Belgium or Germany via motor-rail still tho' sadly
French motor rail no longer go outside of France from Calais