I woke up early to take a train that would take me from Bergamo to Rome. As soon as I got inside and sat down, I realized that it was going to be everything I wanted. The sun was just rising on one side, people were commuting to work and children hopped on the train to go to school. I loved to listen to Italian, and I couldn’t believe I was in Italy. I had tried studying it in three different places over the last years, so I could understand them fairly well.
I usually don’t talk much, but some days I just feel like speaking to people and that was one of those days. I needed a charger for my phone, so I asked a group of ladies for one as I listened to them have some small talk. They were very kind and smiled as I sat next to them. Later on, a young man with glasses sat next to me and started making conversation.
He was from Sicily, but was studying in a town nearby and was going to Parma for a graduation party (or something like that.) We talked during the rest of the morning, while the train slowly passed numerous stations, old houses, mountains, bridges, and bodies of water. Everything that made up the beautiful Italian landscape. We had to get down the train in Pisa, he offered me to go with him to have lunch at one of his friend’s house, but it was too far away from the station, and I didn’t have much time before taking the train to Rome. So I preferred to look for a typical Italian restaurant near the station. The surroundings were very quiet and calmed, and after walking some blocks, I found a couple of places to get something to eat. I decided to have some lasagna with a glass of wine. I enjoyed the afternoon listening to music, watching people pass by, walking around for a while, and just breathing consciously, feeling alive and free.
Back on the train I felt inspired to write lyrics for a couple of songs I had in mind, as well as to write some lines regarding what I was feeling and experiencing at that moment. I also napped, after admiring the afternoon landscape and having seen the sun appear on one side, go all the way on top of me and now starting to hide at the opposite side. The train was now moving near the ocean, as people continued going in and out, talking and just minding themselves. I got to Rome around 5:30 pm. I was feeling a little tired after the day-long trip but was eager to see what would happen over the next three days inside the legendary city. After walking for a while, I got to the Yellow hostel, bought a cold beer and I was just in time for the free daily pasta offered in the bar. It had been a perfect day, as everything turned out fine…