“Six thousand kilometres!” I exclaimed.
“No problems,” replied my companion.
The challenge was laid. We had been talking sustainability and how, as travel writers, we spend our lives encouraging people to fly. That is despite knowing that an economy flight to the western USA can dump 1.6 tons of carbon dioxide per person into our already polluted world. Fly business or first class and that figure can easily double. Officially, no one should produce more than 1.6 tons of carbon dioxide in a single year, and certainly not a single flight, if mankind is to meet its ambition of restricting global temperatures to sensible levels. In some countries, a citizen can produce ten times this allowance singlehandedly.
To generate 1.6 tons of carbon dioxide is the same as using 157 gallons of diesel, or burning 1770 pounds of coal, or charging a smartphone 195,000 times. It is equivalent to 20% of a home’s annual use of energy. To sequester this tonnage of carbon dioxide, and be carbon neutral, would need 26.5 tree seedlings to be grown for a decade. Flying is a problem, made worse by the knowledge that only 20% of the world’s population has seen inside an airplane. For the remaining 80%, flying is a mystery.
My task was simple in design, albeit difficult in the doing. I was to walk from my front door in the United Kingdom’s Lake District and head for Taormina in Sicily by train. I was to do my best to avoid anything powered by fossil fuel on the journey. I realised it would not be simple as Taormina is a mighty 6000-kilometre round trip from where I live.
The entire out-and-back journey took me ten days, added to 145 kilometres of walking. Trains may be quick, a TGV can hit 300 kms/hr, but it is common to change stations in big cities, and that means I walked. I plodded across Paris, from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de Lyon. I did the same in Milan, from its Porta Garibaldi to the huge Milano Centrale, the largest station by volume in Europe. Naples was different, as I arrived and left from its central station so barely walked at all. Had I flown to Sicily, four hours after leaving London Gatwick I would have been sipping Amaro Averna in Taormina. Sustainable travel takes time.
It was important to stay light and not an occasion for a wheelie suitcase. I chose a rucksack-cum-duffel so both hands were free. I carried food, and was glad I did, as the guard with the drinks trolley between Milan and Naples allowed me only one microscopic espresso for the full five-hour journey. Pandemic had closed many dining cars, so by the time I climbed the steep cliff paths into Taormina from its seaside station, I was starving and could easily have gobbled my duffel.
Photography has never been a personal skill, and my sustainable journey made it no better. Mostly I held a mobile telephone against a train’s grubby window as the fields, pylons and villages flashed by. The result, sadly, was plenty of blurred images but a few good ones, too.
I was glad to have hard copies of everything as I have a knack for breaking technology. I have lost count of the mobile telephones I have mislaid, drowned, or fractured, so for my journey to Taormina I relied on paper tickets throughout. Disappointingly, many of my seats faced backwards, so I rapidly became expert at knowing where I had been rather than where I was headed. On my train south of Naples I was in a seat with no window at all.
The high spot of the journey? Easy. The ferry to Sicily, across the Straits of Messina. The Italians put the train physically on the boat. It is said to be rail’s greatest secret. There are only two places in Europe that do this. The other is the train between Germany’s Sassnitz and Sweden’s Trelleborg and even that is for only part of the year.
The Straits of Messina are also the home of Scylla and Charybdis from Greek mythology, who drowned sailors for amusement. There are frequent mirages, too, which they call Fata Morgana. I saw one in the early morning, a sunrise with two suns. I have no idea which was real, and which was fantasy, but there were certainly two glowing, orange orbs.
My trains to Taormina taught me plenty, at a time of life when I thought there was little left to learn. The trick to sustainable travel, the skill that will keep you sane, is not to overthink where you are going. As with life, the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson ring true. Sustainable travel is about the journey, not the destination.
Next Steps:
If you’d like to book a rail journey, complicated or more straightforward, visit silvertraveladvisor.com/rail. You can also call 0800 412 5678 to talk to our Silver Travel Advisors.
Should you wish to follow me:
I wore a pedometer for the journey, so you can see how far I walked each day.
Day 1 – walked to Windermere station
Train: Windermere to London Euston train via Oxenholme
Departure 1224; Arrival 1611
Walked to hotel
Overnight at:
The Megaro
Belgrove Street, King’s Cross. London, WC1H 8AB
Tel: 0207 843 2222
Email: hello@themegaro.co.uk
Web: https://www.themegaro.co.uk
Total steps: 35455
Day 2 – walked to St Pancras International station
Train: Eurostar 9004; London St Pancras International to Paris Gare du Nord
Departure 0701; Arrival 1017
Walked to hotel
Overnight at:
Hotel du Jeu de Paume
54. Rue Saint-Louis en l’Île
75004 Paris
Email: info@jeudepaumehotel.com
Web: https://www.jeudepaumehotel.com/en/
Ate at:
- Le Café Pierre, 2 Bd de Magenta, 75010 Paris. Tel: +33140377110; Web: https://restaurantguru.com/Cafe-Pierre-Paris-2
- Le Quasimodo, 11 Rue d’Arcole, 75004 Paris. Tel: +33143541945; Web: https://restaurantguru.com/Le-Quasimodo-Notre-Dame-Paris
- Le Paradiso, 81 rue Saint-Louis en l’Île, 75004 Paris. Tel: +33146333546; Web: https://www.leparadiso.paris
Total steps: 19822
Day 3 – walked to Paris Gare de Lyon
Train: TGV Inoui 9251; Paris Gare de Lyon to Milano Porta Garibaldi
Departure 1239; Arrival 1949
Walked to hotel
Overnight at:
Hotel Sanpi
Via Lazzaro Palazzi 18
20124 Milano MI
Tel: +390229513341
Email: info@hotelsanpimilano.it
Web: https://hotelsanpimilano.it
Ate at:
- Il Carpaccio, Via Lazarro Palazzi 19, 20124 Milano MI. Tel: +390229405982; Web: https://ilcarpaccio.business.site
Total steps: 13082
Day 4 – walked to Milano Centrale
Train: Trenitalia Frecciarossa 9535; Milano Centrale to Napoli Centrale
Departure 1210; Arrival 1712
Walked to hotel
Overnight at:
Re Diego
60 Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi 4 piano
80142 Napoli
Tel: +390813796877
Email: info@rediego.it
Ate at:
- Pizzeria Dal Presidente, Via dei Tribunali 120, 80138 Napoli NA; Tel: +39081296710; Web: https://www.dalpresidentepizzeria.com
Total steps: 15632
Day 5 – walked to Napoli Centrale
Train: Trenitalia Intercity 723; Napoli Centrale to Taormina Giardini
Departure 0950; Arrival 1640
Walked to hotel
Overnight at:
Villa Fiorita Boutique Hotel
Via Luigi Pirandello 39
98039 Taormina
Tel: +39094224984
Email: info@villafioritatao.com
Web: https://www.villafioritahotel.com
Ate at:
- Trattoria Da Nino, Via Luigi Pirandello, 98039 Taormina ME; Tel: +39094221265; Email: info@trattoriadaninotaormina.com; Web: http://www.trattoriadaninotaormina.com/it/
Total steps: 11246
Day 6 – day off in Taormina
Overnight at:
Villa Fiorita Boutique Hotel
Via Luigi Pirandello 39
98039 Taormina
Tel: +39094224984
Email: info@villafioritatao.com
Web: https://www.villafioritahotel.com
Ate at:
- Ristorante La Botte, Piazza Santa Domenica 4, 98039 Taormina ME; Tel: +39094224198; Web: https://labotte1972.it
- L’Arco de Cappuccini, Via Cappuccini 7a, 98039 Taormina ME; Tel: +390942480750; Email: marselo1980@hotmail.it; Web: https://www.arcodeicappuccini.com
Visited:
- Public (Trevelyan) Gardens, Via Bagnoli Croci, 98039 Taormina ME; Web: https://www.comune.taormina.me.it/la-citt/villa-comunale/; Read: https://silvertraveladvisor.com/articles/blog-destination-features-europe-italy-taormina/
- Teatro Antico di Taormina, Via del Teatro Greco 1, 98039 Taormina ME; Tel: +39094223220; Web: https://www.parconaxostaormina.com
Total steps: 13582
Day 7 – walked to Taormina-Giardini station
Train: Trenitalia Intercity 1962 (sleeper); Taormina-Giardini to Milano Centrale
Departure 1545; Arrival 1120 (next day)
Ate at:
- Food I had taken myself
- Continental breakfast served in my cabin
Total steps: 15705
Day 8 – day off in Milan
Walked to hotel
Overnight at:
Tocq Hotel
Via Alessio di Tocqueville 7/D, 20154 Milano MI
Tel: +390262071
Email: info@tocq.it
Ate at:
- Pizzeria di Porta Garibaldi, Corsa Como 6, 20154 Milano MI; Tel: +39026551926; Email: pizzeriaportagaribaldi@gmail.com; Web: http://www.pizzeriaportagaribaldi.com;
- Amorino (gelato al naturale), Corsa Como 6, 20124 Milano MI; Web: https://www.amorino.com/en
Visited:
- Bosco Verticale, Via Gaetano de Castilla 11, 20124 Milano MI; Tel: +390236599650; Email: info@residenzeportanuova.com; Web: http://www.residenzeportanuova.com/it/residenze/bosco-verticale
- Politkovskaja Garden, intersection of Corsa Como and Via Don Luigi Sturzo; Web: https://en.gariwo.net/gardens/garden-of-milan-anna-politkovskaya-s-garden/milan-anna-politkovskaya-s-garden-16980.html
Total steps: 14693
Day 9 – walked to Milano Porta Garibaldi station
Train: TGV Inoui 9240; Milano Porta Garibaldi to Paris Gare de Lyon
Departure 0600; Arrival 1313
Walked to hotel
Overnight at:
Hôtel Helussi,
22 bis rue de Bellefond
75009 Paris
Tel: +33182832020
Email: info@helussi.fr
Ate at:
- Monsieur Fernand, 94 rue d’Hauteville, 75010 Paris; Tel: +33142464851; Email: mfhauteville@hotmail.com; Web: https://monsieur-fernand.eatbu.com/?lang=en
- Odette et Aimé, 46 rue de Maubeuge, 75009 Paris; Tel: +33148784752; Web: https://foursquare.com/v/odette-et-aimé/4b5f57fcf964a5202fb529e3
Total steps: 19214
Day 10 – walked to Paris Gare de Lyon station
- Train: Eurostar 9015; Paris Gare de Lyon to London St Pancras International
Departure 0912; Arrival 1030
Walked to London Euston station
- Train: Euston to Windermere via Oxenholme
Departure 1130; Arrival 1455
Walked home
Total steps: 22051
***
Total steps for full journey: 180452 (roughly 145 kilometres)
4 Responses
What a trip! I really hope there’s a book coming out of this, Richard. If so, I’m first in line for a signed copy!!
Greetings Gillian! Thanks so much for your vote of confidence. A book? Am on the case. Very best wishes. Richard V
I was looking for info on the Intercity 723 from Napoli – Taormina-Giardini and came across this page. I havent found the info I was searching for ( does this train run EVERY DAY?) anuhow I was delighted to see that you ate at trattoria di Nino. I discovered this on my first visit (2015) to Taormina and ate there 5 of the 6 nights I stayed and have been back many times since. I discovered on after the 5th dinner on my first trip that the guy I thought was just a bit of a grumpy waiter ( first impression!) was in fact Nino himself, and actually not grumpy at all!
Im heading back in September for more.
If you can advise if this train – intercity 723 runs every day of the week I would be grateful. I can see booking are open up to 17 sept but i want to travel on 19th
Cheers Fiona – the Trattorria Da Nino? You, too? Fantastic. I thought it was a great place but cannot compete with 5/6 nights eating there. My guess is that you got to know them pretty well, and they you. I am, of course, hugely envious as it was an excellent place to dine. Re the train timetable, I am afraid I am the wrong person to ask, much as I wish I could help. I was going to book each ticket separately but chickened out in the end and had an environmentally friendly company (not Silver Traveller at the time) do the bookings instead. Would I repeat that? I am not sure I would as several of the bookings were not quite what I had intended, and I had to improvise somewhat as I went along. However, why not give the Silver Traveller bods a call and see what they say? You’ll find them just above the bit where I say, “Should you wish to follow me” and underneath the images. And when you do return to Taormina and end up in the Trattoria Da Nino once more, you can be totally certain that I will be incurably jealous! Thanks again for making contact and bon voyage for September. Best wishes. Richard V