Lago di Como, in the province of Lombardy – one of the mostly densely populated regions in Italy, and even Europe. The density of population here at an average of around 400+people/sq km rivals that in Japan and the Netherlands – two of the two most densely populated countries in the world. So you can imagine that when I found myself with time on my hands in May in the Bergamo area I did not seriously expect to find any exceptional pristine wild hikes there.
I’m going to tell you a story that sort of qualifies as a hiking trip failure, but in retrospect this short but eventful day trip was just another kind of adventure. And this adventure boasted of two highlights: getting caught in an Italian national train strike (a memorable and educational experience in itself), and surviving said strike to tell the tale. Namely, the tale of how we managed to travel to our destination and back (almost) without disruptions to our plan (though I ascribe this last bit to atypical lucky stroke). And yes, I’m talking about a day trip! It’s legendary – read on.
