In more than eleven years of travel, there has been only one occasion where I was left stranded abroad. I’ve had my fair share of delays and cancellations – the usual hazards of any form of transport – but I’ve always managed to reach my destination.
Back in the autumn of 2020, on a trip to Sicily, I was in the beautiful city of Siracusa, having arrived from what is arguably the best train journey Italy has to offer: the sleeper all the way from Milan. As part of its scheduled trip, the train boards a ferry across the Strait of Messina, offers fantastic views and gives you plenty of time to enjoy a lie-in (a rarity in the sleeper train world) – if you’d like to read more, click here. This must-do experience used to be my most-viewed post.
After a couple of days exploring, I was content with what Siracusa had to offer, including its sun-drenched, walled old town. I went in search of a bonus railway journey before heading to my next destination, Catania – the next city, only sixty-six kilometres away. Consulting my trusty European rail map, I decided to travel a little further down the coast. A quick glance at the timetables and I thought, “Let’s book a return to Pozzallo.” Pozzallo isn’t exactly a top tourist spot, though it does have some sandy beaches and a ferry to Malta. The journey itself was the selling point for me, and it was a chance to sample one more of Sicily’s railways. About an hour each way seemed perfect for the time I had before my train to Catania.
I thought this plan was safe enough to make my connection even if there were minor disruptions. Little did I know, as I boarded the Regionale Express train bound for X, that this journey would take me one way – directly opposite from where I had intended to go.
An unplanned adventure to Pozzallo
I bought my ticket before departure to board the train bound for the south coast. I was curious to see what I might discover – if anything.
A modern regional Trenitalia train waited on the platform and set off with a handful of passengers onboard, mostly locals.
As we rolled along, I had the chance to admire more volcanic fields. I checked my return train on the Trenitalia app – the first train back had been cancelled. I thought “Okay, I’ll get the next one”.
Soon, the blue-and-white station sign reading Pozzallo came into view. I moved to get off at the same door as the conductor. She asked, “Is this your destination?” I nodded, not wanting to confuse her with my slightly crazy plans slightly curious as to why she asked me. I thanked her and stepped into an unknown world.
With the train heading for the horizon further down the coast, I decided to check my app again. At this point, I was more concerned about getting to my next hotel in Catania – and I didn’t want to lose the booking for the next three nights.
Before I knew it, the next train never arrived and all the trains back to Siracusa were now cancelled according to the Trenitalia app, including the last one of the day Train 12855. I alighted the last train to stop at Pozzallo for the rest of the day.
Alternative options to Catania?
There wasn’t a soul around Pozzallo station to share my predicament with, apart from an elderly gentleman who had pulled up in his battered Fiat by the entrance. I approached him, and he wound the window down. I asked if he spoke English. He replied, simply, “Italiano.”
My Italian doesn’t go much further than Grazie, Prego, and Buongiorno – none of which would help me now. With rapid hand gestures, I tried, “Problem with trains?” “Trying to get to Siracusa.” He reached for his calculator and typed ‘50’.
It didn’t take long to realise he had nothing to do with the railway, nor was he planning to travel anywhere himself. He was a chancer, hoping to profit from my disruption. Should I trust him?
I called Trenitalia to ask about alternative transport and was directed to a call centre on the mainland. They told me that the railway system in Sicily operates separately and they couldn’t help. They suggested I ask locally.
With a train and a replacement bus out of the question, I now needed to think quickly – daylight was fading and my phone battery was dwindling.
Other options
With no trains, no buses, and fading light, I had to improvise fast. I relied on a chemist’s quick Google search to figure out where a bus might be – sometimes resourcefulness beats luck – particularly when your phone battery is dying quickly.
She told me there should be a bus, so I headed to the stop and, found the what I thought to be the right one on the timetable.
After waiting at the bus stop, no bus appeared. The elderly gentleman turned up again, rolling down his window. I ignored him.
There were no official-looking taxis around, and I had no idea how much one would have cost – or whether I would even have made the train to Catania.
Plan B
I decided to stay the night. I let my host in Catania know I would arrive a day later and took a quick look at Booking.com. Availability in Pozzallo was scarce. There was a ferry to Malta, which might have been a fun alternative, but I hadn’t realised that at the time.
I just needed to make a decision.
About 2 km from Pozzallo was Hotel Danieli. It looked friendly, had good reviews, and came in at a bargain €61.40 including breakfast. I needed somewhere safe. So I started walking, using my last bits of phone battery to find it on Google Maps, torch in hand. Some of the roads had no pavements, but I managed fine.
Nothing was stopping me from going to the hotel. I checked in, relieved to have found somewhere, and shared my story with the receptionist – whether she wanted to hear it or not.
The following day
I woke up and the first thing I did was check the first train—8-something. I wasn’t going to risk my luck with the Sicilian local railways any further. After breakfast, I was back on the road with my case.
I was greeted by a now-retired 1980s train, its classification proudly displayed on the front: the 668. Its concertina doors opened, and I made sure to get straight on board. It felt almost like a competition with the locals to be the first on, but I wasn’t going to miss another train from this station. I wondered if any of them had faced a journey as challenging as mine the day before.
Travelling on the 668 felt like reclaming victory, full of character it rattled along to Siracusa. The curtains whipped around uncontrollably with the windows open, and the combination of sea air and diesel fumes made for quite an experience. Perhaps this ordeal wasn’t so bad after all: I’d survived the unexpected and the quirks of such a train felt like enough of a reward.
Have you had a similar story to share? Let us know in the comments section below.
This travel report was first published in February 2026.
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