I fell in love with Italy’s magnificently affordable steam trains

I fell in love with Italy’s magnificently affordable steam trains

“Bellissima!” a passenger in a passing car exclaims as they lean out of the window and frantically waves their arms. Other cars are honking their horns, exchanging whistles with the steam locomotive, and a man riding a bicycle one-handed almost cycles into a pedestrian because he is preoccupied filming the train. As we round a curve, Lake Annone – a 5.7 sq km body of water in Italy’s Lombardy region – is visible. The last of the day’s light glin…

The anoraks who love to watch trains go by

The car won’t move. It’s been raining and the wheels are spinning in the mud. “Guys, we have to continue on foot,” announces the most experienced member of the group of Greek trainspotters.