Our stay in Milan was brief—a whirlwind of excitement and energy. After a quick regional flight from Amsterdam, we arrived at the beautiful Radisson Blu Milan in the early evening and were handed the keys to a magnificent suite. It was equipped with a sitting room, a separate bedroom, and a huge bath with an enormous walk-in shower and soaking tub. Both the sitting room and bedroom featured French doors that opened to a balconette looking out toward Via Console Marcello and provided a view of the city center.
We did not linger in the room, however. This was our first time in Italy, and we were eager to hit the streets. We took a stroll around the neighborhood, only to quickly discover that every restaurant we entered was fully booked or had a wait list, it being Friday night. Rather than standing around, we continued our search until we found open seating at a local pizzeria, La Costiera, specializing in pizza, pasta, and seafood for thirty years. After savoring our first authentic Italian pizza and beers, we made our way back to the hotel. There we enjoyed the rest of the cool evening air at a cozy table in the hotel's backyard.
Our stop here, however enjoyable, was simply the launchpad for the main event: the first high-speed leg of the Inaugural European Rail Odyssey.
Milan has several options for public transit, including the metro, buses, and trams. We didn't know it then, but the tram situated just two blocks from our hotel could have delivered us right outside Milano Centrale in only 25 minutes. Instead, we set out that cloudy, cool morning (68°), walked about 10 minutes to a metro station and boarded a subway, only to discover at the first stop that we were headed in the wrong direction! After correcting course, we made it to the train station for the official start of our journey. If you're curious about how this specific itinerary was crafted, start at the beginning with The Inaugural European Rail Odyssey: Part 1 - The Planning Blueprint.
The Milano Centrale Sendoff
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Milano Centrale is not merely a train station; it is a monumental gateway. The station was designed in the early 1900s and opened in 1931 under Mussolini during the Fascist regime, which wanted the new station to reflect its power. The structure is a dramatic blend of many architectural styles, including Art Deco, Fascist, and Liberty. Emerging from the metro, you are in a grand hall adorned with marble pillars, shops, restaurants, two lounges, banks, luggage storage, and even a post office. Stepping into the main hall, you are surrounded by beautiful examples of early 20th-century Italian architecture such as elaborate sculptures and massive stone arches. This monumental design, meant to project national power, unfortunately later became a location of historical tragedy, serving as a departure point for political deportations during the war. Had we ridden the tram, we would have seen the massive façade, which is 660 feet wide and a soaring 236 feet high. The sheer scale is truly designed to impress—and perhaps initially overwhelm. Beneath the majestic glass and iron roof are the 24 tracks of Italy's second-largest station.
Getting to the train was surprisingly easy as, inside this busy monumental building, there is modern order. Through the chaos, we easily found the exit and arrival boards and identified the correct platform. Then, after making our way through the crowds, we located the tracks where a stable of chic Frecciarossa (Red Arrow), Frecciargento (Silver Arrow), and Frecciabianca (White Arrow) trains waited silently. There are no long security queues or frustrating boarding groups one experiences in airports; just a simple process of having your bags X-rayed and getting your ticket scanned at your platform. We found our designated carriage, Carrozza 9, via the clear numbers on the side of the car.
We then boarded the Frecciarossa, the fastest of the fleet, for the two-and-a-half-hour sprint across Northern Italy. Even now, after many trips under our belts, we still feel a bubble of excitement when we first lay eyes on a train's distinct, aerodynamic profile and low-slung body. This was our first experience seeing that sleek, aggressive nose designed to cut through the air at speeds up to 186 mph (300kpm). We located our seats, stowed our carry-on luggage above, and got ready for 173 miles of high-speed comfort.
By contrast, we took Amtrak in the US from Tacoma to Portland; a 120-mile journey that also took 2.5 hours. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy train travel anywhere. However, high-speed rail in Europe is a cut above the chug and rumble of American train travel. The pressurized cars are quiet and smooth, even at top speeds. Train travel is a world away from flying, too. You can move freely with plenty of space, visit the bar or dining car at your leisure, and enjoy a snack and nice beverage while you watch the landscape whiz by. The windows are large and panoramic, designed to maximize the scenery but also have shades for when the sun is shining a little too brightly. The seating is modern and highly ergonomic, not tight and uncomfortable like older rail cars. It features ample legroom, charging ports, and large baggage racks above and near the doors for your luggage. Many trains feature a quiet car if you want to get some work done or just catch a nap. We found our seats to be spacious, quiet, and comfortable—perfect for the quick journey to the floating city.
The Scenery and The Grand Arrival
As the powerful Frecciarossa pulled silently away from the station and quickly reached its cruising speed, we were out of the sprawling urban scenery of Milan and the northern Italian countryside began to unfold within minutes. We settled in with a glass of wine to enjoy the quickly changing panorama. The views were exactly what I had anticipated: vast stretches of fertile agriculture punctuated by stately, imposing villas of white, ivory, and pink, often set against a distant, hazy mountainous backdrop. We swiftly moved by beautiful cities like Brescia and Padua, which we would later visit in 2022. We even caught a quick glimpse of the immense Lago di Garda, a grand lake shared by the Lombardy and Veneto regions. Suddenly, before we expected it, the landscape gave way to water, and we were cruising across the Ponte della Libertà over the lagoon and into Venice.
Stepping off the train at Venezia Santa Lucia, we were immediately hit with heat and humidity, signaling we were in a very different climate from where we had come. Emerging from the station for the first time is a truly breathtaking experience. Laid out directly in front of you is the Grand Canal, framed by the signature architecture of Venice, with the beautiful Chiesa di San Simeon Piccolo casting a majestic figure across this main waterway.
When we think back to this first trip to Venice, we have to laugh. We knew nothing of transportation once we arrived. We checked with a water taxi (there are no cars in Venice) and were given a rate of €60! The official public water bus, the Vaporetto, was overlooked due to pure sensory overload, so we decided instead to walk the 30 or so minutes to our hotel.
Little did we know that would entail hefting our bags up and down stairs over and over again to cross the many bridges between Santa Lucia and our hotel, Ca' Bragadin Carabba. After a mere 20 minutes, we were exhausted and realized we didn't have to rush anywhere. So, we sat down to have a cold beer and a meat and cheese board at La Bottiglia. We observed the daily lives of Venetians, including a bride walking to the church in full white dress and veil, people out walking their dogs, and kids kicking a soccer ball.
Venice has notoriously bad cell signal, so a cell phone is not a reliable method of navigation. Sitting outside enjoying the break, we realized we had veered far off course and were still 20 minutes away from the hotel! That's when we spotted a man working on his boat, and offered him money to take us to the closest stop. He readily agreed, so we loaded up our bags and ourselves, sat down on the milk crates he offered for seating, and set off. Soon we were exiting the small, narrow waterway and gliding along the Grand Canal.
Venice is a feast for the senses, with the magnificent façades of the mansions facing the canal, the scent of sea air, and the sounds of boat engines, which are the symphony of a city as unique as it is beautiful. We wanted to soak up as much of it as we could in the short time we would be there.
After checking into our hotel, we spent hours exploring the streets marveling at the architecture and sampling cicchetti. Later that night, we were struck by the fact that all the young people we saw were engaged in conversation, not looking at their phones. A group of them asked to sit with us, as seats are hard to come by anywhere on a Saturday night, and we happily accommodated them. They then took us walking across the city to their favorite bar, a lively spot with lots of taps. Still slightly jet-lagged, we bid them good night and left for our room. On the way back, we inevitably got lost and wandered around the intricate streets surrounding our hotel for over an hour before finding our way back. We arrived very tired and retired to our cozy room on a quiet street for some much needed sleep.
Next Stop: A Hard Goodbye and the Long Haul East
Our 24 hours in Venice was a spectacular, chaotic introduction to Italy, proving that sometimes even the shortest visits can be the most memorable. While this brief stop was all our inaugural itinerary allowed, we loved the city so much that we returned in 2022 for a full week, giving us time to truly explore the six sestieri (districts) and discover the secret to navigating the maze that is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
→ Read More: For a complete guide to planning your stay, look for my upcoming post: Venice in One Week: Our Style (2022 Update).
The following morning, it was time to say a hard goodbye and prepare for the longest leg of our journey: the push from the Adriatic coast, across the Alps, and into a much different world - the heart of Austria.
→ Read Post 3: (Part 3) The Inaugural European Rail Odyssey: Venice to Vienna
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