Without incident we successfully navigated the A1 autrostrada on our way south to Chiusi where we would drop off our rental car and catch a train to Rome.  On the way down to Chiusi, in the distant hilltops we would catch glimpses of ancient fortified cities.

Getting off the autostrada near Chiusi, we were faced with the question of whether we should continue on with our planned journey or take a side trip to Perugia to do a meet and greet with the famous prosecutor there who tried Amanda Knox.

We decided to forgo any side trip and to continue on with our plans to turn in the rental and catch a train to Rome.  With the car dropped off, we arrived at the Chiusi train station in plenty of time for our 11:45 train.  There were a few moments of confusion in trying to decipher which train was the Intercity 583 that we were supposed to catch to Rome at 11:45 am, when they don’t post the train number and the only train showing that was going to Rome was leaving at 12:38.  Nevertheless we were able to board our train when it arrived at about 11:44 and it pulled out 2 minutes later.  No lollygagging allowed.

Making our way to our seats we found 4 people firmly ensconced in our assigned seats.  I looked at our tickets and compared them with these seat numbers and concluded, yup, these kind folks are in our seats.  Seeing the perplexed look on my face, a twenty-something American kid who was sitting a few seats back quietly said to me, “Just tell them to move.  People just sit in seats whether they are theirs or not.”  Buoyed by this kid’s encouragement and the looks on the faces of my fellow Camanoescape travelers who appeared to be leering at me as if saying, “WTH, are we going to have to stand for our 90 minute train ride to Rome?”, I approached the group of 4 and told them as politely as I could that they were in our seats.  The man of the group was as ineffective in communicating in Italian as I was.  When I explained what was going on to Lynda, the man brightens and says, Do you speak English?  Yes, I told him.  So we both figured out what was going on in English.  They had 4 seats but their assigned seats were about 30 rows back.  Off they trek with their luggage and we sit down.  When I saw the man later in the train ride he told me they had to kick 4 people out of their new seats as well.

Enjoying the train ride we entered a tunnel and then stopped.  For 5 minutes we sat there while the air pressure in the train cabin fluctuated at an alarming rate.  It was like what everyone experiences a couple of times every flight on an airplane where you need to pop your ears.  That pressurization comes on gradually.  The train experience was like the airplane experience on steroids.  Passengers in unison would visibly wince and turn their heads.  After a few minutes the train started moving and every so often there would be another instant flash of painful ear pressure until we got out of the tunnel.  We couldn’t figure out what or why that happened or why we had to sit there in the darkness for five minutes.

Arriving in Rome with new found flexibility in our eardrums, we departed the train with our luggage.  With Doug running point and me taking sweep, our little group made our way through the massive Roma Termini to the outside world to the taxi stand without incident from any pickpockets.   We caught a cab to our Rome apartment where we will be staying for the next 3 nights.  Here at last!  Wow, there are a lot of people here in Rome.  Sidewalks packed, people walking in the streets because there’s no room on the sidewalks, dodging taxis, Vespa scooters and bicycles.  More to post about the hordes, but later