RTW 2013 | Tirano

I only had a few hours in Tirano, and since this train station didn’t have luggage lockers, I pretty much had to haul my luggage wherever I went. I ended up wandering around a bit near the train station. This town is really small (a few thousand in population) and is fairly touristy, mainly because it’s the meeting point between the Rhaetian Railway and Trenitalia.

Walking around town was fairly nice around lunchtime. It was funny, once I crossed the border into Italy, I can see the difference in culture between the Swiss and the Italians. The Swiss rail system is known for its timeliness, while the Italians have a more laid back, if it arrives today then kudos approach to almost everything. Even the restaurants and business seemed more relaxed. I tried to go to a bank to exchange some Euros, but the bank was closed for mid-day (noon-2:30pm – luckily the restaurant takes visa).

I ended up picking a restaurant that had a plethora of tripadvisor reviews, mainly because it was pretty close to the station and a lot of people on transfer could go grab a meal. In any case, the waitress was attentive, but also exuded a relaxed approach. The risotto was quite tasty and cooked perfectly. It had a bit too much cheese for my taste, but the cheese did make the risotto very creamy.

I also sampled the cappuccino, which was made very well. The foam seemed to stay even after stirring in cream and sugar. Just sitting roadside at an Italian café almost seemed to put me in a state of relaxation. Time seemed to slow down as I just watched people go about their daily lives. It was a pretty cool just hanging out for a while before my next train to St. Moritz.