The train journey from central Naples to the toe of Italy’s boot takes around four hours. 

The trains are an excellent standard. High-speed, quiet and very comfortable. However this particular journey was my favourite for another reason: the views.

As I travelled backwards, I watched the world zoom away from me. On my left, the blue sea and sky, occasionally broken by small fishing towns with slithers of white sand. To my right, green hills and fertile farmland filled the rectangular window.

Opposite, my favourite travel partner patiently watched in reverse. Facing forward, he could see the length of Italy’s west coast gradually being eaten up by the train. Just after this photo was taken, he finally broke his reverie and the carriage’s silence to announce a station.

At that moment, it didn’t seem to matter what Sicily, our final destination, held in store. On that day, the task of waiting had become the experience itself.