---
product_id: 1563853
title: "Italian Ways: On and Off the Rails from Milan to Palermo Paperback – May 5, 2014"
brand: "tim parks"
price: "KSh7101"
currency: KES
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 9
url: https://www.desertcart.co.ke/products/1563853-italian-ways-on-and-off-the-rails-from-milan-to
store_origin: KE
region: Kenya
---

# Italian Ways: On and Off the Rails from Milan to Palermo Paperback – May 5, 2014

**Brand:** tim parks
**Price:** KSh7101
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Italian Ways: On and Off the Rails from Milan to Palermo Paperback – May 5, 2014 by tim parks
- **How much does it cost?** KSh7101 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.ke](https://www.desertcart.co.ke/products/1563853-italian-ways-on-and-off-the-rails-from-milan-to)

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- tim parks enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted tim parks brand quality
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## Description

Full description not available

## Images

![Italian Ways: On and Off the Rails from Milan to Palermo Paperback – May 5, 2014 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/711vHPpNUeL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    The Italian Bella Figura: Put on a good 'front'
  

*by S***O on Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2013*

I am not even finished reading Parks' book about seeing and experiencing Italy by train: I confess though, about 75% completed.  This is one of those "I could not put it down" titles---something I would rarely venture to say about a work of non-fiction.  Many times I was wiping the tears of laughter from my eyes .  My non-Italian partner would look at me as though I had finally cracked up and 'gone over to the other side.' Perhaps because I am a second generation Italian American who was fortunate to have older family members around when I was younger, those born/raised in Italy, some as early as 1878,  and being raised in a now long gone "Little Italy' in Chicago,  this book had me howling with laughter, understanding and repeatedly saying, "si, si, e vero!"  (yes, yes, all true!)  Having been to Italy to see relatives several times over 40 years, Parks captures the essence of Italianismo---which can occasionally drive Americans, Brits and Germans 'pazzo'  (nuts).The Brits,  have had a love affair with sunny and warm Italy from the 19th century Romantic poets on forward.  However,  they are always "English" no matter how long they reside in Italy, no matter how fluently they speak textbook Italian, minus regional dialect.  The Italians are not precise Anglo-Saxons.  This Parks understands and respects, even though as a resident foreigner who teaches in University, his Anglo-Saxon frustration with Italian 'bella figura' of putting on a proper appearance, a 'good face' even under the most obscure and negative circumstances, is vital to understanding Italian culture and the importance of 'respect'.His descriptions of the evolution of train travel, far from being tedious or boring, is fascinating at times as well as comically hysterical. I suppose because I understand elementary Italian, I found myself laughing to tears at the folly and non sequiturs of Italian laws and "regulations" regarding train tickets and travel.  Nevertheless one does not need to know Italian at all to appreciate this good 'outsider/insider' non-Italian analysis of the train system as it reflects Italian society:  maddeningly slow and illogical at times, yet superbly sleek, modern and fast.  From a fat, mortadella reeking passenger chomping into a huge sandwich and  who belches and loves to hear himself complain theatrically about how 'miserable' the train station personnel made his life, to young Italian college students who enjoy the 'Gotcha!" moment at which the Brit outfoxes the imperious and self-important train conductor, this perspective of Italy from trains is a welcome departure from the usual geographic reveries about the joys and frustrations of Italian life: from business-centered high fashion Milano to the sing-song patter of Palermo merchants in Sicily, I give Parks' creative approach to Italy five thumbs up and a resounding "Bravissimo!"

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Much Like a Train Itself
  

*by C***. on Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2013*

After finishing Tim Park's Italian Ways I'm eager to both visit Italy and travel by train again. The book is a travelogue of sorts, cataloging the different experiences he's had living in Italy and utilizing their complicated train system to travel around the country. He discusses topics ranging from the types of trains and their histories, as well as various passengers, mix-ups, stations, and differences between standard trains and high-speed ones. His narrative intermixes anecdotes, historical research, and general musings.It took my quite a long time to read this book- it's a bit hard to read in huge chunks. Sections of the book are interesting, while the rest are just on the cusp of being so; Parks has a pleasant narrative voice that sometimes soothed me straight to sleep. The quality of the text and the style were consistent throughout, and the movement of the story in terms of geographical locations made sense.The experience of reading the books was much like a train ride; I often wanted it to be over, but there was also something romantic and nostalgic present that I couldn't shake. There's no wild twists and turns- it's a steady ride.Do I recommend this? It's definitely not for the average reader; if you have a particular interest in Italy or trains you will probably enjoy this, but be warned, you may be rolling through it for awhile (bada-da-da!)

### ⭐⭐⭐ 3.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Everything you ever wanted to know about Italian trains
  

*by V***N on Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2013*

The above line sums it up.  This is a carefully written book, but after fifty or so pages, this reader was lost ( or felt like lost) in the complex world of Italian trains.  A nice read, if you can obtain it from the local library, but the author tells more about the Italian rail system than one really wants to know.

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*Product available on Desertcart Kenya*
*Store origin: KE*
*Last updated: 2026-02-14*