Day 140 - Overnight Train Cancelled in Italy

Another pretty standard start to the day. Up, downstairs for coffees, and everyone was actually keen for a run, which has been a nice change.

Emmett was set on trying to run the whole way, and Maddie was just happy to be out there doing her thing. We all headed off together, with Kia and Maddie settling into a run-walk rhythm, while Emmett and I just kept rolling. We ended up running all the way to the turnaround point without stopping.

The plan was to hit that same beachside coffee spot on the way back, so we all met there. Coffees for Kia and I, juices for the kids, and we just sat there for a bit soaking it in before heading back to the accommodation.

Once we got back, it was straight into the usual, a quick trip to the shop for bread rolls and eggs. We had a bit of food left to get through, so breakfast turned into a team effort. Maddie cooked pancakes, Kia handled bacon and eggs, and I made sure we had enough sorted for lunch as well so we could keep things simple.

While I was on washing up duty, the guy we hired the car from called to say he was on his way to collect it. That turned into a mad dash with Emmett to the service station to fill it up. Surprisingly cheapish…€60 after three weeks of having it, which was a nice win.

Stefano arrived to pick it up, all smooth, no issues. And from there it was straight into pack-up mode. Cleaning, sorting, dragging everything downstairs, the usual chaos that comes with moving on.

Once we were mostly sorted, we headed down to the beach for one last play. Just an hour to unwind before showers, final checks, throwing out of some Raybans that I’d had for 15 years and getting ready to leave. Stefano was due back at 4pm to take us to the train station.

At exactly four, everything happened at once. Stefano arrived, the accommodation owners turned up, bags everywhere, kids everywhere. We loaded up and made the half-hour trip to the station, getting there around 4:30.

Our train wasn’t until 7:50, so we knew we had time to kill. We set up outside in the sun. Emmett kicked the soccer ball around, Maddie did some colouring, I played with the Rubik’s cube, and we just waited it out.

After a while, I headed inside to check the boards and get familiar with where we needed to go.

That’s when I saw it.

Our train to Milan…cancelled.

I stood there for a second just staring at it, hoping I’d read it wrong. No luck.

I jumped in line at the information desk, got told to go to another line, which turned out to be a proper queue. Ran back outside, told Kia the news, then got in line.

Two hours later, I finally got to the front.

There’d been a landslide. That was it. Trains cancelled, delays everywhere.

There was another train that night, but no sleeper cabins and no guarantee it would even get through. Could’ve been a 12–15 hour trip with a long stop in Rome. Not happening.

There were a couple more options the next day, but all sit-up trains, no sleepers, long hours with the kids. Also not ideal.

So we stood there at the counter and started looking at flights. In the end, we decided to take the full refund and figure it out ourselves.

But then things turned.

The lady at the counter offered to check if they could still provide accommodation, even though we were taking the refund. Somehow, it came through. Free accommodation for the night and a taxi to get there.

That changed everything.

By the time the taxi arrived, it was late. We got dropped at the accommodation, which ended up being near where we stayed in Lecce before. Easy.

Dropped the bags, went and found a small cafeteria for dinner. Expensive for what it was, but it tasted good and at that point, no one really cared.

Back at the room, once the kids were settled, Kia and I got stuck into figuring out the next move.

Fastest way to Lake Garda?

Hire a car and drive.

Nine hours.

Booked it through Avis, and surprisingly, it came out about the same price as the train tickets we’d just refunded.

Not how we planned the day, but honestly, it worked out pretty well considering.

Let’s see how the drive goes tomorrow.