Brilliant blue skies and blazing sunshine greeted me and my friends Margo, Katy, Kathy, and Kate as we boarded the train in Domodossola, Italy bound for Switzerland.

Italian train

I confess I felt quite giddy about our adventure. As a little girl I read about train travel in Europe and my youthful imagination flourished with dreams of wearing tweeds and jaunty hats, sipping tea in the dining car and carrying a carpet bag as I made my way from one fairytale town to the next.

Our journey was nothing like my British-book-inspired dreams, but every bit as wonderful.

Train to Switzerland

We chugged along past flower-trimmed houses, through lush valleys bordered by soaring peaks, and emerged at our first stop: the village of Santa Maria Maggiore.

It is such a pretty little town with the most delightful alleyways leading off to hidden gardens, quiet courtyards, and vegetable patches picked clean of their summer bounty.

Italian alley

There are so many vividly colored buildings in S. Maria Maggiore, covered with richly detailed frescoes and paintwork. In the morning sun they positively glow.

Santa Maria Maggiore

Behind high walls and wrought-iron gates sit elegant manors with perfectly tended gardens, windows shuttered against the glare of early morning light.

Italian manor

I moseyed down a side street and found a walled courtyard filled with crunchy brown leaves and a window that peeked into the back of a lovely old church.

Italian church wall

Before long we succumbed to the lure of mid-morning coffee and found a table at a cheery cafe filled with village men gossiping and watching the passersby. Those men had a good thing going! It was the perfect spot for people-watching and the coffee was strong and delicious.

Morning Coffee

Fortified and rested we continued our wanderings through town, finding more alleys, homes and quirky townsfolk to delight us.

 

village alley

What is your favorite mode of transportation when traveling?