Great Continental Railway Journeys

In this programme Michael Portillo embarks on a railway journey from Palermo, the capital of Sicily, to the foot of Mount Etna, Europe’s largest volcano. As the train travels north, he observes how ordinary Sicilians lived under Benito Mussolini’s authoritarian regime.

is a television programme presented as a single episode. It follows a rail journey that starts in Sicily’s capital, Palermo, and heads northwards toward Mount Etna, the continent’s largest volcano. The show is structured around this train ride, using the movement between the two points as its narrative spine. The episode’s presenter, Michael Portillo, travels the line from Palermo to Etna while examining how ordinary Sicilians lived under Benito Mussolini’s dictatorship. As the train progresses, he looks at the ways the fascist regime shaped everyday life across the island, linking the urban atmosphere of the capital with the more remote volcanic region. The railway itself provides a natural framework for moving through different parts of Sicily, allowing the programme to illustrate the impact of the dictatorship on the island’s social fabric. By juxtaposing the modern train experience with historical context, the episode offers a view of how the authoritarian government affected communities, economies and cultural practices during that period. Throughout the journey, Portillo’s observations tie together the geography of the route and the historical backdrop, creating a concise portrait of Sicilian life under Mussolini as the train draws ever closer to the imposing silhouette of Mount Etna.