Naples to Palermo

Naples

Naples is a city that grabs your attention from the moment you arrive. It is noisy, crowded, chaotic and sometimes frustrating, but beneath the disorder lies a city of extraordinary character. Set around one of Europe's most spectacular bays and watched over by Mount Vesuvius, Naples combines dramatic scenery with layer upon layer of history. Ancient Greek and Roman remains sit alongside medieval churches, grand Bourbon buildings and narrow streets where everyday life spills onto the pavements. It is also a city of contrasts — elegant piazzas are never far from crumbling façades, while magnificent art and architecture exist alongside an energy that can feel almost overwhelming. For me, Naples was the perfect starting point for this journey — a city that is impossible to experience passively and one that leaves a lasting impression.

The Boat Train to Sicily

The journey south from Naples begins like any other long-distance train journey, but gradually becomes something altogether more unusual. The line follows the coast, with glimpses of turquoise water giving way to the sun-baked landscapes of Calabria, before the train reaches Villa San Giovanni. Here, the extraordinary happens. The train is divided into sections and rolled directly onto a ferry for the crossing of the Strait of Messina. Passengers can leave their carriages and climb onto the open deck, where the sight of an Intercity train sitting on the ship is almost surreal. After around 30 minutes, the ferry reaches Messina, the train rolls back onto Sicilian tracks and the journey continues towards Palermo. It is an experience that feels wonderfully old-fashioned, slightly eccentric and completely memorable — a genuine adventure rather than simply a way of getting from A to B.

A train that travels by sea — Italy's most extraordinary rail adventure, from Vesuvius to the Sicilian shore.

Palermo

Palermo takes a little more time to reveal itself. After the immediate impact of Naples and the extraordinary boat-train journey, the Sicilian capital initially feels untidy, chaotic and sometimes difficult to decipher. Yet that is precisely what makes it so fascinating. Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Arab, Norman, Spanish and Italian influences have accumulated here over centuries, often appearing side by side in the same building. The Palazzo dei Normanni and Palatine Chapel provide the most spectacular expression of this cultural fusion, while churches such as La Martorana and San Cataldo reveal the subtler connections between Byzantine, Arab and Norman traditions. The more you explore, the more its contradictions begin to make sense — and the more compelling the city becomes.