These TrenItalia trains are old and creaky. The chairs don't lean back, and there's no ventilation. It's close, hot, and stinky. They've tried to address this with some kind of pomander, hanging in each car. I'm not able to identify the herbs used, although I know there's a tradition that Mussolini made the trains run on thyme.

Okay, but seriously, this was the first train I rode on that didn't require an extra "reservation" fee. I was able to hop on the train at a whim, no ticket, just my unlimited rail pass. And the railplanner app color codes the ones requiring paid reservations vs help yourself. I am only now really grasping how much flexibility that buys me.

Anyway, I'm in Genoa Italy. Why? Because it's the favorite busking city of my friend Vince Conaway. "It's my personal favorite city to busk but no one else seems to like it." It's hard to imagine two personalities, acts, and busking methodologies so completely different than mine and Vince's, so much so that I think it's funny we use the same word to describe what we do. And he says he's pretty much alone in favoring this place. Also his act does not depend on English, mine does, and I've not heard a word of English on the street. So as recommendations go, this one's pretty weak. The reality is I'm just stopping here on my way to Pisa, which I think, again based on Vince's reports, will suit me better.

Every August, Vince and I co-teach a class on street performing. Again, Vince brings a lot to that class both because of his extensive experience but especially because he works in a completely different way from anything I do. I'm aware of where his favorite type of places are in this city, and I think it will be helpful to tell the class that we've both used the same spot and here are our results.