Bologna to Conzano

Friday 12th June 2026

Today was a 3 train day plus a taxi ride, but it almost wasn’t. As we were travelling on Wednesday we caught the notice that yet another infamous Italian train and bus strike was scheduled for this week.  From what I have noticed they seem to take place on a Friday and you guessed, it we were due to travel by train again on Friday. However by some very good luck we discovered that the strike was for 24 hours commencing at 2am on Thursday. So we dodged that inconvenience.  However we were not yet out of the woods, our train today, originating in Rome and had been delayed for maintenance by 25 minutes. That already meant that our onwards connections would be impacted. There was nothing we could do but wing it.  Travelling at 300 kms per hour the train managed to catch up time and by some miracle arrived earlier than originally scheduled in Torino where we changed to a regional line and travelled to Chivasso. After one more change of trains we arrived in Casale Monferrato.

On the last leg of our train journey we met two locals – well they are really Texans (sisters) who have moved permanently to Italy about two years ago. We thoroughly enjoyed swapping travel stories and can only admire their outlook on life and how well they are melding into their surrounds. We farewelled them and travelled two more stops before disembarking at Casale Monferrato. The easiest way to get to Conzano was to take a taxi.  We picked up some supplies and headed off on a short 15 minute journey to Conzano

We settled into our villa and breathed in the country air.  We are on top of a hill, where all of these little villages are located. Out of any window you can see two other hilltop villages. After siesta, we took a short stroll through the village and settled in for a light meal at a wine bar, Mezzo Pieno where we enjoyed two locally made pasta dishes. One was a truffle filled gnocchi and the other was a ravioli. Neither dish was smothered in sauce, in fact no sauce at all.  We were able to taste the pasta for what it was and enjoyed the fillings of truffle and Parmigiano Reggiano (a distinctively strong cheese). The local wine was a Barbera blend. We slept well in this quiet little hilltop village, where just very occasionally I can hear a car. There is more birdsong than anything else and definitely no sirens from emergency vehicles.