Image via WikipediaBy Guy Saunders
Before the advent of the Channel Tunnel and then Eurostar, it was quite an undertaking to travel by rail to Italy. Once you had negotiated the British Rail portion of the journey and the cross-channel ferry there was then the prospect of an uncomfortable night on a sleeper. Many people might still be daunted by the prospect of a journey of more than 600 miles across at least 3 countries and opt to jump on a plane instead.
