The Station That Time Forgot
I stepped off the train at Acqui Terme into what felt like a time capsule. The station platform, like so many in Italy's forgotten corners, wore the patina of decades—dusty tiles, faded signs, and that particular Italian melancholy that clings to places where the modern world arrived late and left early.
But here's the thing about Italy: just when you think you've found the most unremarkable place, it reveals a secret that makes your heart skip.
According to Google Maps—that modern oracle we trust too blindly—Paleologi Castle should be somewhere to the right. Instead, a park beckoned directly ahead, its path disappearing into shadows cast by trees older than America itself. This is Italy's first lesson: never trust technology over instinct.
Where Crusaders Once Walked
The park revealed itself as I climbed: this was indeed the castle grounds, where the Paleologi family—the last Byzantine emperors—once held court after losing
