Turin to Venice: Part 2 Great Continental Railway Journeys

I'm embarking on a new railway adventure

that will take me across the heart of Europe.

I'll be using this, my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide

dated 1913,

which opened up an exotic world of foreign travel for the British tourist.

It told travellers where to go, what to see

and how to navigate the thousands of miles of tracks criss-crossing the continent.

Now, a century later, I'm using my copy

to reveal an era of great optimism and energy,

where technology, industry, science and the arts were flourishing.

I want to rediscover that lost Europe

that in 1913 couldn't know

that its way of life would shortly be swept aside by the advent of war.

On this second part of my journey

through one of my favourite countries, Italy, la Bella Italia,

I'll find out how the Edwardian adventurer discovered

a love of the high life.

A traveller with my Bradshaw's guide in 1913 could have gone up in a plane

-and seen this wonderful view?

-Absolutely.

I follow a star-crossed tale of Shakespearean love.

Eleonora! Eleonora!

Hello, Michael! Come up here and join me!

And on the Grand Canal,

I hear about the amorous conquests of Venice's most famous son.

Casanova loved women. He only had a 130 lovers.

-That's extremely moderate!

-Absolutely.

My Italian travels began in the Piedmont region,

where I visited the city of Turin.

From there, I travelled into Lombardy

to another major northern city, Milan.

Como and its famous lake will be my third stop

before I visit the romantic city of Verona.

My journey will end in the east, on the islands of Venice.

Today I am heading away from the city

to visit some of Italy's most spectacular scenery.

-Buongiorno. Uno biglietti di treno per Como Lago, per favore.

-One?

-Uno, si. Sola.

This is very unusual for us. You can buy your railway ticket in the newsagent.

-OK.

-Buongiorno. Grazie.

This double decker train is taking me towards Como.

Bradshaw's tells me that it was a centre of silk manufacture.

Apparently the region was covered in mulberry trees.

But there's a hint here of a change.

"The Lake of Como is incontestably the most beautiful and picturesque in the Alps.

"It's 32 miles long, two to three miles in width,"

and already in 1913 Bradshaw's tells me

that villas of the wealthier Milanesi were to be found here.

Yes, it was converting to tourism.

The railway line to Como was completed in 1875

and by the early 20th century, the British had established their own community.

But our love affair with this place goes back to early Victorian times.

John Ruskin, a writer later much admired by the Edwardians,

wrote of Lake Como, "There was blue above, and blue below,

"And the gleam of the eternal snow."

It's hard to believe that so very close to the city of Milan

you can be in such wonderful countryside. It is delightful.

The houses, villas and hotels blend into the green hillsides.

And even on a summer's day like today,

I suppose the deep water of the lake keeps it delightfully cool.

Just perfect!

It wouldn't be right to travel all the way here

and not to take to the lake,

so I've joined boatman Max to get a feel for the place from the water.

Viva Italia!

I'd like to learn more about how British tourists amused themselves in Como

and sample some of the delights of the lake,

so I've arranged lunch with tourism officer Monica Neroni.

So, welcome, Michael, how are you? Nice to meet you.

Monica. So nice to be here.

Monica, for how long have travellers from my country been coming to this beautiful place?

Tourism started on Lake Como thanks to the British,

because for them we built the first hotels on the shores of the lake

and still today a few of them preserve the name

in honour of your country or of your Queen Victoria.

Lake Como was THE holiday destination,

welcoming not only Queen Victoria

but also writers such as Byron, Shelley and, later, EM Forster.

Ecco, signori.

HE SPEAKS ITALIAN

-Thank you very much indeed.

-Enjoy your meal.

-Grazie.

So this fish has been dried and then it's served, obviously, with a little polenta here.

-Mm-hm.

-Mmm. It's excellent.

At the time of my guidebook, 1913,

what sort of people were coming here?

You know, the middle-class tourists started to come here

because of the railway.

It was the time when they could use the train.

What did people find to do here in those days?

They relaxed, they enjoyed the landscape, they visited the gardens.

They talk about music and poetry

and, of course, they fall in love

because, you know, the lake was called the romantic lake.

The lake of lovers.

You're referring, of course, to married people.

Not really!

In 1913 a new toy landed on Lake Como to amuse British tourists -

the seaplane.

So after my delightful lunch, I want to follow in their slipstream.

-Hello.

-OK, hello.

-Nice to meet you. Hello.

-I'm Michael.

-I'm Cesare.

-Very good to see you.

-Here we are.

-OK, this is your book.

-Thank you.

Such a fantastic view!

Marvellous!

Cesare, how long have people been flying on Lake Como?

-Since 1913 exactly.

-The year of my guidebook.

Ah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Were the public able to fly as well?

So a traveller with my Bradshaw's guide in 1913

could have gone up in a plane and seen this wonderful view!

Wonderful.

It wasn't just tourists who were interested in seaplanes.

Though Italy was neutral for the first year of The Great War,

they were building up their air defences.

When they did join the Allies in May 1915,

their air force dominated the skies against their Austrian foes.

Here on Lake Como, the navy tested the Macchi seaplane in 1917

as it was considered an excellent way

to patrol Italy's long, exposed coastline.

After the splendour of Lake Como,

I'm moving deeper into the romantic heart of Italy.

My journey takes me via Milan to catch the mainline

to a town where the most famous love story of all was set.

Milan central station, where I'm changing en route from Como to Verona.

It is enormous. You might say it's fascist architecture.

It was opened during the dictatorship of Benito Mussolini,

but actually it's always reminded me

of some of the great American stations.

It turns out in a way I was right

because the original design from around the time of my Bradshaw's guide was based

on Union Station in Washington DC.

After my sun-drenched day,

I shall spend the night in the city that Shakespeare described as "fair Verona"

and I shall rest my head where Romeo and Juliet found eternal rest.

The ancient city of Verona boasts

some of the finest Roman and medieval architecture in Italy.

The city straddles the Adige river,

which reaches the sea just south of Venice.

Before I turn in, I've come to enjoy a nightcap

by the spectacular Roman amphitheatre.

Whilst Verona's rich Roman history was enticing,

it's not the only thing that drew the Edwardian visitor.

British tourists had already started to come here in the 19th century

in search of Shakespeare's classic story of love.

Bradshaw's tells me that "in the Via Cappello, is a house,

"marked by a tablet, where Juliet's parents are said to have lived."

Over the centuries since Shakespeare wrote his play

about the star-crossed lovers, Juliet and her Romeo,

people have been moved by their story.

And I won't be the first British traveller,

clutching a Bradshaw's guide,

to make my way to the house of the Capulets.

At this fictional house of the Capulets,

bought by the city of Verona as a tourist attraction in 1905,

I've been told I'll find Shakespeare expert Eleonora Oggiano.

Eleonora, Eleonora!

Hello, Michael! Come up here and join me!

You're on the balcony! Do I climb up?

Yes, please!

There's no ivy.

Now, Romeo and Juliet were fictitious characters,

so how can this be Juliet's house and Juliet's balcony?

Actually the balcony was added in the 1930s

after the success of George Cukor's Hollywood adaptation of the play.

Tourists expected a balcony, so Verona gave them one!

That's rather disappointing. But at least this is an old house, is it?

Yes, it is. It dates back to the 13th century.

-So it could have been the Capulets' house.

-Yes, it could be.

Why do you think he chose to set Romeo and Juliet here in Verona?

Shakespeare was inspired by an Italian novella

written by Mateo Bandello, in 1554,

which was translated by Arthur Brook.

So to some extent Shakespeare did what Hollywood producer do today.

He adapted an Italian story based in Verona to the stage.

It is THE classic story of tragic love, isn't it?

And I see people leave things and they draw hearts on the wall and so on.

So it's still a magnet for lovers and people obsessed with love.

Yes, it is.

They're opening the gates and already people have come.

It's 8:30 in the morning but they've torn themselves away from their breakfasts.

They must be very lovesick!

-Why have you come here?

-WOMAN: The romance.

-You're romantically involved?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Ah, that's very, very nice.

So what's the attraction of Romeo and Juliet, do you think?

I think that it's one of the largest love stories out there.

So do you think your relationship will be stronger and warmer now you've been here?

Yeah, it's so cute and all the little history and love and romance

and all that, so it's cute, it's fun - it's fun.

-Well, enjoy it.

-Thank you.

-Bye.

-Bye.

Star-struck lovers, forlorn lovers, thwarted lovers,

unrequited loves write letters to Juliet.

She must get almost as many as Father Christmas!

I just wonder what happens to them all.

These letters to Juliet were first penned in the 1930s

and left here at her fictional tomb.

I'm amazed to discover

that these precious love letters continue to be collected

and carefully replied to here at the Club di Giulietta.

-Buongiorno, tutti!

-Buongiorno.

-Who is Manuela? Ah!

-Nice to meet you.

-Very nice to meet you.

-Welcome.

-Thank you very much.

So this is the Juliet Club where people write letters to Juliet.

-When did they first start doing that?

-The club was born in 1972.

Mr Giulio with some friends started this club.

-Buongiorno, Signor Giulio.

-Buongiorno.

It's easy to make fun of people writing to Juliet,

who never existed and anyway is dead.

Why do they write to Juliet?

People consider Juliet a very strong character.

People writing to Juliet just want someone to take care of their pains.

She had the strength to fight against her parents' will

and she was not afraid to express directly her feelings to Romeo.

Those are very good reasons. How many letters does Juliet receive?

About 10,000 letters per year.

-Do you try to reply to everything?

-Yes, we try to reply to everybody.

It's an enormous undertaking and you're all volunteers!

Yes, we are.

All these passionate letters inspire me

to continue in the footsteps of those Edwardians looking for love

here in Italy.

I'm now embarking on the final leg of my journey

to the most romantic city in the world.

And now for the climax of my Italian journey Venice.

Bradshaw's says, "it's an agglomeration of about 117 small islands

"and also upon intermediate piles,

"the houses and palaces have been built.

"There are 150 canals, crossed by nearly 400 bridges."

When I first approached Venice 40 years ago it was also by train

and I couldn't believe that moment when I stepped from the station

and saw that ahead I could only proceed on foot or by boat.

It remains one of the great experiences open to the European traveller.

This long causeway carries the railway

towards the islands that are Venice

and it's a bridge between a world of tarmac and a world of water.

And though I've experienced this before,

I somehow still can't believe it that as you leave the station,

you enter a different universe.

And such a concentration of beauty!

The Edwardians weren't the first Britons to fall for this unique city.

To learn how we became transfixed with Venice,

author Michelle Lovric will take me back in time.

-Hello, Michelle.

-Ciao, Michael. Benvenuto Venezia.

Thank you very much indeed.

-What an elegant form of transport!

-Absolutely beautiful, isn't it?

I've just arrived at the railway station,

which is obviously quite a modern building,

but arriving here in 1913, what would I have seen here?

There would have been a huge pack of gondolas,

all touting for business.

So you'd arrive to an enormous chiasso, a great noise and bustle.

The railway arrived here in the mid-19th century. What impact did it have on Venice?

In my opinion, it was deeply disturbing for the Venetians.

For hundreds of years, Venice had been an island state

and suddenly a huge industrial construction arrives in Venice

and the rest of the world can get here.

The extraordinary two-mile-long rail causeway across the lagoon

was built by the Austrians and opened in 1846.

Only two years later, the Venetians rose in revolt against their foreign masters.

In the end, the Austrians were expelled but the railway remained,

heralding a new business opportunity - tourism.

An educated British traveller arriving here in 1913

would have had in one pocket John Ruskin's Stones Of Venice

and maybe in the other pocket Casanova's memoirs.

But John Ruskin's Stones Of Venice shaped

what every British person thought about Venice.

He had a mission here.

He wanted to teach the world about the virtues of gothic architecture.

Gothic architecture was God's architecture, God's geometry.

God never made a straight line.

And that was good enough for God and that was good enough for Ruskin.

But there's something in Venice

that particularly binds the British imagination to the place

and that something usually seems to be romance.

Yes, well, I think of it as a very romantic place.

A place where people fall in love.

So when can we trace the British connection with Venice back to?

Oh, goodness. Very early.

The British tended to come here because it was the place that invented sexual tourism.

And as early as 1611, Thomas Coryat came here

and said that the city was full of 20,000 courtesans,

loose women who were so loose

that they would open their quivers to every arrow.

Sounds pretty unhealthy!

I suppose one of the reasons why Venice is associated with love and indeed licentiousness

is because of Casanova - he lived here, didn't he?

Casanova was born here in 1725

and he probably is the most famous son of Venice.

I consider him to be dreadfully misunderstood.

Casanova loved women, he was no Don Giovanni.

So Casanova, though, develops this idea

of the man who has many, many lovers

which is then handed down into the Don Juan, Don Giovanni theme.

He did but in fact in all his life, he only had 130 lovers.

It's basically only three lovers a year, which isn't that extraordinary.

-That's extremely moderate.

-Absolutely. Yes.

In his memoirs, only a third of those are devoted to sex.

The rest of it is a kind of Hello! magazine for the whole 18th century.

-Well, I think I've met the president of the Casanova appreciation society.

-Absolutely.

Michelle, thank you. An unforgettable tour!

Recalling those British visitors

intoxicated by the licentiousness of Venice,

I've found a suitably romantic place for my evening meal.

As evening falls in Venice,

I've decided to treat myself to a dessert that was invented in this region.

It contains coffee, which is important in the history of Venice,

and Savoyard biscuits,

which in turn were devised for the Counts of Savoy

who were the distant ancestors of Victor Emmanuel I, King of Italy.

And with all that caffeine and sugar,

not surprisingly, it's called tiramisu "pick me up".

This morning I've decided to get up early

to experience something of the timeless romance of Venice

before the crowds descend.

I turn to my 1913 tome for guidance.

Here's a tip from Bradshaw's.

"When the traveller has only a day or two, hire a gondola.

"Nervously affected persons will find the noiseless highway a relief."

-Thank you very much.

-OK.

-Bellissimo.

-Where you want to go, sir?

-Just show me Venice, please.

I love this place because the composition is perfect.

There are two sides to walk, the flowers -

different styles of construction.

After all that hard work, I'm in search of a good cup of coffee

and I know just the place.

A beautiful cafe on St Mark's Square,

where I'm meeting Sylvia Zamella.

-Hello, Sylvia.

-Hello and welcome.

-Thank you very much.

Cafe Florian is very, very famous and very old.

Is it one of the oldest?

It's the oldest in Italy and I'm quite sure it's the oldest in Europe.

It was founded in 1720.

The most famous cafe in Venice,

it's long been a haunt for the world's elite.

One of the most famous Venetians is Casanova.

Did he come to the Cafe Florian?

Yes, he used to come to the Cafe Florian

because Cafe Florian was the only coffee shop in Venice that allowed women to come in.

So it was the hunting ground for Casanova.

It's all part of the British love affair with Venice.

Of all the sites in Venice,

St Mark's Square, with its great bell tower,

has to be the most famous.

It's extraordinary to think that it had only just been reconstructed in 1912.

Bradshaw's tells me about the new campanile or bell tower

on the site of the old tower, which collapsed on July 13th 1902.

Extraordinary to think that for a decade, tourists coming to Venice

could not see this famous landmark.

What's so interesting to me about it is

that it's completely out of scale and style with anything else in the square

and yet somehow, the juxtaposition works perfectly.

For those travellers in 1913,

clutching their Bradshaw's in one hand and John Ruskin in the other,

Venice was the ultimate art-lover's destination.

It was a reputation that Venice was quick to make the most of.

At the end of the 19th century,

a highly cultured mayor of Venice, meeting with some friends at the Cafe Florian,

had the idea of an international art exhibition.

It's been going on since 1895

and I'm very lucky that my visit coincides with it

because it's only held every two years and hence its name.

It's the Venice Biennale.

Held in the park, or Giardini,

the Venice Biennale is the international showcase for art.

Everyone who's anyone wants to be here.

Andrea Rose is Director of Visual Arts at the British Council

and is showing me around.

I've not been to the Biennale before and I'm surprised to find

that it has permanent national pavilions.

Was it like that from the early days?

At the very beginning, everything was in one big building

but the Italians asked countries to have a room of their own.

The Belgians built their pavilion first in 1907,

and then the Italians were keen that the Brits got in on the act,

so they came to London to persuade us to do it and we did in 1909.

It's fascinating that what we see today at the Biennale is

a microcosm of Europe on the brink of the First World War.

What do you think has been the significance of the Biennale?

This is really like the Olympics.

If you're not here, you're not in the race.

It's an enormous platform. A global platform.

This is a cultural coming of age.

If you Azerbaijan, if you're Colombia, if you're Kuwait,

and you don't have a pavilion, you still want to be here.

It shows that you have a creative heart

and that the world will recognise it.

And it strikes me that with countries like China and Russia coming back to the fold,

actually the makeup of the Biennale is something that would be recognisable

to the Bradshaw traveller of a hundred years ago.

In 1913 British tourists criss-crossed Europe in search of adventure,

drawn by the eternal romance of Italy.

This international love affair continues to this day,

overwhelming Venice, this ancient floating city.

It's a place with which the traveller falls in love over and again,

being irresistible to every generation.

Britons have been infatuated with Italy for centuries

and I'm no exception.

I think the reason is that we find in Italians what we fear we lack.

For example, a sense of style expressed in a zippy little car,

a sexy dress or a natty suit

and we flock to Verona and Venice magnetised by their romance,

hoping that somehow a little of the Italian knowhow in fashion -

and in love - may rub off on us.

Next time, I'll discover how Kaiser Wilhelm II's militarism

threatened Europe's fragile balance of power.

I'll let Bradshaw steer me towards Germany's music

and culture...

..meinen bosen geist!

..attempt a 1913 equivalent of a Jane Fonda workout...

see model railway making on the grandest of scales

and sample Germany's favourite tipple.