Milano Centrale Railway Station
Newsflash: It is extremely common for passports to be lost/stolen in Europe and some hundreds of tourists face this nuisance everyday.
Milano Centrale was fairly spotless apart from the occasional cigarette butts popping out between the lines of the stoned floor of the station. My train from Florence (Firenze Santa Maria Novella) to Milan covered a little more than 300 kilometres in an unbelievable 1 hour 40 minutes, leaving me little time to finish the thriller in my hand. I was almost forced to enjoy the lush green landscapes rushing past the enormous windows. With a little extra buck to spare, I got myself a first-class ticket. Apparently, there was a faster train available, but my Trenitalia adventures should had to wait for another time. I was already ecstatic at the prospect of visiting the home of Leonardo Da Vinci's legendary fresco at Santa Maria delle Grazie, a church and Dominican convent in Milan.
A stunning railway station
Milano Centrale has its own beauteous virtues with a mix of Art Nouveau and Art Deco dominance. The early modernist building with its enormous glass and metal dome shelter some 24 tracks with a daily service to every major town in Italy. Awed by its charm, a felt a light nudge to my left and long story short: my passport was missing!
My other wallet, which I had kept for safekeeping in my main luggage, carried the rest of my cash, and it wasn't a lot to be honest. How foolish I was to splurge on the first-class ticket! I had my flight back to Delhi the very next morning and my immediate response was to phone the Indian Embassy in Milan. I felt weak in the knees. My gut felt hollow and I could literally feel the air tighten around my throat as the phone rang precariously. A woman's warm voice with a familiar Indian accent assured me that I will be able to catch my flight the next day, given I reach the Consulate as soon as it opens, which is at 9 am.
Help is always around the corner
Helpless and confused, I asked a station guard of a police office nearby, and the gentleman directed me to a platform at the far end of the station. A quick Google search also led me to platform 21, where the Railway Police have their office. At 8.15 in the morning, the police station had 4 officers and before I spoke one of them offered me a seat. Clearly, my frightened face gave it all away. As I started explaining to him how I think my passport was stolen, he listened patiently and simultaneously, was typing away at his computer. As I finished, he smiled sheepishly and in an apologetic tone, said it is extremely common for someone's passport and money to be stolen in Italy. He asked me to write my name on a sheet and to show any other document I might have. I showed the scanned copy of my passport and the Schengen Visa and Officer Gillespie produced a print-out of the form he was typing in. He signed the form with his official seal and asked me to head to the Consulate General of India, which is less than a 10-minute walk from Milano Centrale station. But I had my luggage, and hence decided to take a taxi.
Consulate General of India
Piazza Paolo Ferrari
The 12-euro ride took me to Piazza Paolo Ferrari, the Consulate address, which is incidentally, where I had booked my AirBnB for the night. But, first things first. The Consulate General of India in Milan has a very familiar air. People inside drinking masala tea, were addressing each other in Hindi, as two men discussed the fiery election wind sweeping across India. One of the women asked me to fill out a little form and told me that I needed to pay 14 euros. As I obliged, she asked me to get two copies of my passport, visa, flight tickets, and the police report, along with three passport-size of my photograph. I got my copies from a stationery supply store nearby and the Consulate asked me to come after 2 hours, as they assured I would be handed a white Emergency Passport that would allow me entry to my country for one time, before it expires. Relieved partially, I walked to my AirBnb and stationed my luggage for the day. I needed to see Da Vinci's art after the rough day I'd had. I needed a recovery. Two hours later, following some signatures, I got my Emergency Passport, and it was valid for a month!
The moment I got out of the enormous door of the Consulate General of India, I noticed how insanely beautiful the city of Milan is. Cobble-stoned main streets with trams passing through from time to time, historical architecture with sublime high-street fashion arcades, stunning classical buildings with modern high-rises peeping between alleyways - adorn the ancient city. With a heavy sigh of relief, I started walking to a brightly-coloured gelato store across the street. I was hungry, and Leonardo can wait.