The flight for this trip to Italy wasAlitalia AirlinesThat's right. Alitalia is an Italian airline, and the name "Alitalia" is apparently a portmanteau of "Ali," meaning "wing," and "Italy." If you book a tour, the airline you'll be flying with is undecided until about a week before departure. It was lucky that we got to fly with an Italian airline to Italy this time!
The flight from Narita (Tokyo) to Fiumicino (Rome) on Alitalia flight AZ0785 takes 12 hours and 50 minutes. Departing Narita at 2:10 PM, it's scheduled to arrive in Rome at 7:00 PM. From there, I'll transfer to a domestic flight to Milan. Unfortunately, since the aircraft is older, charging mobile phones and laptops is not possible. Economy class legroom is somewhat spacious when the seat is reclined. Although the flight was full, I was lucky enough to have a seat at the very back, so I could recline my seat without worrying about it, and the restrooms and drinks were nearby, allowing me to head out in a relatively comfortable position.
Something I think about every time I fly: The way the clouds move across the sky and the way we fly through the clear blue sky is so beautiful that it's hard to put into words, and I find myself gazing at it in awe for quite some time.
Once the plane stabilizes in the air, in-flight service begins. As expected of an Alitalia male flight attendant, he's a strikingly handsome man (lol).
"CLASSICA" is an Italian cracker. It has a light salty taste and a crispy texture.
"White wine"
In-flight soft drinks include water (still and sparkling), coffee, tea, cola, and orange juice, while alcoholic beverages include beer and wine. In Italy, white wine is called "Bianco." Italian or English is spoken on board. Just ask for "White Wine" or "Bianco"!
Checking the in-flight magazine will tell you what movies are available with Japanese dubbing. You can also check on the monitor, but the in-flight magazine is much clearer. Once you've checked, you can enjoy movies and music on the plane, which will prevent you from getting bored on a long flight. Some people even enjoy playing games. On my outbound flight, I only watched one movie, but it was "Iron Man 3," which had just been released in 2013.
The in-flight meal was served in the middle of the movie. Normally, you can choose between Italian or Japanese food, but since my seat was in the last row, many people in the rows in front of me had requested Italian, so I had no choice but to eat Japanese. I guess it was the right choice considering I probably won't be able to eat rice for a while once I arrive in Italy (lol). The meal consisted of teriyaki yellowtail, simmered vegetables, rice, salad, chicken meatballs, pickles, etc. For some reason, even though the main dish was rice, bread was also included. This bread was hard and dry, making it difficult to eat. I suppose it's unavoidable that the rice hardens around the edges of the container when it's heated. Compared to the terrible soba noodles in Swiss Air's Japanese meal, this was edible. That being said, Swiss Air's French meal was delicious, so I think there's a hit or miss depending on what you choose♪
The distant horizon is faintly bathed in the twilight, displaying a beautiful gradient of colors. I usually keep my phone turned off on board since I don't use it, and I lose track of time if I don't constantly check the flight status.
Perhaps because I wasn't moving around much, I wasn't very hungry, but they did serve a light snack with the in-flight meal. Typical of Italy, it was a sandwich with ham, cheese, and lettuce on hard bread. Don't expect too much from the bread, and the cheese was just average. The ham was surprisingly tasty, though!
There are female flight attendants, of course. Unlike Singapore Airlines, Alitalia doesn't seem to have any uniform size restrictions (lol). I later heard from the tour guide that curvy women are popular in Italy. Does that mean I'm one of them too...!? (lol)
As darkness began to fall over the sky, the cabin lights were dimmed to induce sleep. However, since we had a connecting flight and were scheduled to arrive in Milan, Italy at 11 PM, I didn't want to sleep too soundly, as that would have meant worrying about the night. I closed my eyes for a few hours, just enough for a light nap. Jet lag is truly strange. The cabin is very dry, so wearing a mask while sleeping can reduce the strain on your throat. It's a good idea to bring a portable mask. Furthermore, if you wear contact lenses, your eyes will also get dry, so I recommend bringing a case so you can remove them and switch to glasses. Bringing a foldable air pillow, which can be bought at a 100-yen shop, will prevent neck and shoulder pain.
When I woke up, the third in-flight meal was served. It looked so awful that I didn't take a picture. Taste is proportional to appearance, after all (lol). Looking back, the light sandwich was probably the most decent (lol). Well, flight AZ0785 finished its flight smoothly and arrived in Fiumicino (Rome), where it's time for a connecting flight♪
Alitalia Airlines
http://www.alitalia.com/jp_ja/
Narita International Airport Official Website
http://www.narita-airport.jp/jp/
