Who doesn’t love to ride on a train? Its one of my very favourite things to do. Doesn’t matter if it’s a short journey or long, its such fun and has nostalgic connotations that are so sweet. Let’s take the Trenitalia train from Marsala to Castelvetrano in Sicily!
Trenitalia
This company is the national train-line of Italy and services the entire country. The second most popular trains are the high-speed ones. While those are a definite must experience while in the country, today we take Trenitalia.
I’m leaving from the very small station in Marsala of which there is no open ticket counter to purchase tickets. If you rock up to the station without a pre-booked ticket, you can make use of the small machines that are attached to the walls of the old waiting room.
I booked my ticked online, each direction separately. The Trenitalia site is user friendly, has a great English page and was simple to navigate and purchase from. I was even able to modify my departure times after changing my mind, with a few clicks of the button.
Cost one way from Marsala to Castelvetrano is currently €3.90 or $6.10 CAD. Very affordable!
Leaving Marsala
I arrive at the station with about 20 minutes to spare and thank goodness too. The entire platform is under construction and it’s incredibly confusing where I should go to actually get on the train. With the help of construction workers busy on the new station, I am told to cross the tracks and board my train. It was not a matter of finding the train, for there is only one. More a matter of figuring out which side to try and access the doors from and how to actually get inside. 😂
On board, I find the two-car train, clean and comfortable. There are only a handful of passengers and they are all men. Soon enough its time to go and like clockwork, the train begins to roll.
One thing that I really like about Trenitalia, is no need to validate your ticket. Unlike other places and trains, you will not get a nasty fine when the conductor comes around to check your ticket. Just hop on board and enjoy the ride.
Marsala to Castelvetrano
Marsala is most famous for its wine, so it is with great pleasure that as we pull out of the station, my views are of vineyards as far as the eye can see. Along the way, there are five stops. The stations seem to be even smaller than Marsala for some do not even have a platform or building of any description.
At about the half way point of this one-hour journey, the vegetation begins to change. You see, Castelvetrano is know for a specific variety of olive! Known as Castelvetrano olives, I begin to see less and less grapevines and more and more olive orchards.
Arriving at Castelvetrano
Around the one hour mark the train begins to slow and I realize I am almost here. The train pulls into Castelvetrano station which is a little larger than Marsala. I hop off, snap a few photos and head for the exit.
Outside I am greeted with a large dusty square, massive rubber tree, and derelict fountain. I pull out my phone, load google maps and find a route into what I think is the old part of town. I’m a little too early to check into my Airbnb, so I’ll explore a bit, find something to eat and get to know the lay of the land.
Have I told you why I’m here? Pardon me. 😁 I’m using this as a base to take a day trip tomorrow. I’ll head to the coast on the bus. What I’m going to see is a dream destination of mine called Selinunte. An ancient Greek city on the southern coast of Sicily and Europe’s largest archaeological park!
