I've been back home for a few days and I'm already busy back to work with the BBQ business. However, I wanted to post the last update for the summer of 2026. Wednesday morning, I woke up early to finish my closing checklist and started walking to the train station before 7:15 am. My train from Campomarino to Foggia was at 7:59. I usually wouldn't be nervous about getting there with that much time, but I had a full backpack and two suitcases with me this time. I made it to the station with 15 minutes to spare.
The first train was right on time, and I had about an hour in Foggia before the next train. I used this time to eat a croissant filled with apricot jam for breakfast, and call Zia for a little while. The second train was 5 minutes late, but it was time we made up on the way to Rome. When booking trains in Italy, I always search for Frecciarossa, which is the country's fast trains. There is another company called Italo that also has fast trains, but way less of them. A few years ago, I bought a ticket in business class and I've done it ever since. On an airplane when the cost of business class is usually a thousand dollars more I skip it, but on the train it's just a $20 upgrade that I find well worth it. So if you're ever in Italy going from one major city to another, be sure to book the business class on the Frecciarossa.
I got into the Roma Termini train station around 1:15, and hopped on a direct train to the airport where I had a room waiting for me at the Hilton Rome Airport. You can save some money staying at hotels in the center of Rome, but if you have an early flight like I had scheduled for Thursday, I'd definitely suggest the airport hotels. After checking into the hotel and repacking my suitcases, I set out to reach the center of Rome and visit with my cousin Erica. She's a doctor who works at a hospital in the Eternal City. This was where I hit my only snag of the journey. The trains going between the airport and the center of Rome were no longer running due to a technical issue. This meant I was cabbing it. The rides were fine and price fixed, so there was no need to negotiate. Just sit back and enjoy the view. I met up with Erica, had some delicious artisan gelato, and went shopping for last minute gifts. On our way back to her car, the heavens opened and I saw the first rain of my three week Italian trip. We hopped into Sephora to avoid the deluge and contacted a taxi from there. The driver was nice enough to drop her off at her car on the way to taking me to the airport. It was great to see her.
I was lights out Wednesday night at 9 pm with an early alarm awaiting me. I woke up at 10:30 thinking it was mid morning, but it was only an hour and a half after lights out. Then I woke up again at midnight and 1 am before finally getting going with the piercing alarm at 2:15. My flight was at 5:55, and I had a long travel day ahead so I wanted to shower in the morning and make sure the bags were good to go. I was in the airport, checked in and through security by 4:15. The departure gate wasn't announced until 4:55, but the person who took my bags had said the gate so I went and found a seat nearby. Flight one on Thursday was from Rome to Lisbon, Portugal. It was smooth and quick. When we got into Lisbon it was 8:15 their time, but by the time we got to a stopping point and the stairs were brought to the plane to disembark, it was 9:15 am. I spent some time eating breakfast, walking, and shopping in the Lisbon airport before heading through passport control and to the gate.
The last flight was from Lisbon to Newark, NJ. I had paid for an upgraded ticket when I booked, which is why I had a second suitcase included and I ended up with three seats to myself. I also had an upgraded meal. TAP Airlines, Portugal's national airline, was very nice to deal with. The app worked great, and the flight was smooth. We landed in Newark about 3:30 pm and by 4:15 I was through passport control and customs. Onto the final stretch. From the airport, I took a train to Hamilton station where my friend Brian picked me up and brought me home. I got into my house about 6:30 pm. The total journey from my door in Italy to my door in America was 41 hours and 15 minutes. All in all, it was a great trip. I got to visit with a lot of family members, spent many hours relaxing on the beach, read two books (finished the last one on the train to Rome), and wrote the first act of a screenplay. For the summer, I'm down 39 pounds as well so that's also a plus. Looking forward to heading back next year.
