#interrail2025: Day 4 (and a bit) - the time-saving short cut…

So, Trieste Centrale on a sunny evening in April, the world your oyster. But not the obvious option for a footloose bureaucrat. No, I had some serious miles to cover, and the overnight sleeper to Rome to catch.

Now, compared to the Nightjet, Austrian Railway’s rather elegant sleeper service to Rome from Vienna, Trenitalia’s Intercity Notte service is a mite basic. None of this “en suite bathroom and shower” nonsense but, given the price difference, I was willing to make the sacrifice.

I found my berth easily enough, despite Trenitalia’s attempts to bewilder (and why not number the carriages 1, 2, 3, 5, 4 and 6?), and found that my bed was already made up.

We were slightly late off, but with a scheduled eleven hours and forty-eight minutes to Roma Termini and a built in two hour rest at Bologna Centrale, I was confident that my ninety minutes connection would hold.

Back through Udine, and onwards across Friuli, it suddenly dawned on me that this train served Venice as well, which meant a crossing of the lagoon to Venezia Santa Lucia. I’ve never been to Venice - it feels like one of those tourist traps where you end up begrudging every last penny you spend - but there’s no doubt that it’s one of those places where you ought to go.

Having crossed and re-crossed the lagoon, it was time for some sleep…

I was awoken abruptly just before six, although the presentation of a cappuccino and a miscellany of breakfast items did make up for it a bit. We were, on the other hand, running half an hour late, for reasons that never did become clear.

But, having had breakfast and freshened up, I alighted for on the train on a sunny morning, with another train to catch, heading south…