Great Continental Railway Journeys - Season 7 - Eps 4: Palermo to Mt Etna
Michael Portillo’s 1936 Bradshaw’s Guide brings him to the Italian 'treasure island' of Sicily, full of natural beauty and 'scenery of the greatest charm'. But the interwar guide book also tells Michael that the head of government in Italy is the fascist leader Signor Benito Mussolini. On a railway journey from the capital, Palermo, through the ancient town of Agrigento and the port of Siracusa, to Europe’s largest volcano, Mount Etna, Michael explores Sicilian life under the dictatorship. Michael finds out how the dictator took on the mafia and asks whether it is true that under Mussolini, the trains ran on time.
About Great Continental Railway Journeys
Title: Great Continental Railway Journeys
First Air Date: 2012-11-08
Last Air Date: 2025-04-04
Status: Returning Series
Rating: 8.625/10 (from 8 votes)
Language: EN
Seasons: 8
Total Episodes: 57
Network: BBC Two
Genres: Documentary
Production Companies: BBC
Synopsis
Michael Portillo travels on the great train routes of Europe, as he retraces the journeys featured in George Bradshaw's 1913 Continental Railway Guide.
Cast
Michael Portillo
Self - Presenter
