Train from Nice to Rome

Not sure why it would be nightmare but it would be long trip. Roughly eight to nine hours with at least one train change. Nice has a convenient airport so you might consider flying. Scenery would be nice but nothing special.

Realistically that could be a nightmare with the train changes you may need to make especially if one is late causing you to miss the connection.

I think the transfers might be a challenge .......if anyone has done this before, I'd love to have you weigh in!! :)

With the exception of a few routes that cross mountains I have never marveled at the scenery from trains.
Really don't envision the trip from Nice to Rome being overly scenic.
Given I don't think you would save any money I would definitely fly instead of train for this journey ; will save you many hours.

What about the transfers that makes you think they would be a challenge? Our experience is that train transfers are pretty simple. I would like to help but not sure what you are asking.

Nice to Rome can be done with just one connection in Milan, usually departing about 8:15 a.m. This is one Thello day train and one Frecciarossa. If one is severely delayed, your ticket should be exchangeable for another connection. But the connection process in Milan is very simple, not even requiring any stairs, and you have a generous 30 minutes to do it.

There is no very special scenery on the route. The best part is the first three coastal hours, until you reach Genoa and head inland. So if you don't consider 8.5 hours on trains to be a relaxing opportunity to read a book, then you might want to fly (www.skyscanner.com).

travis,

While air travel might be slightly faster in this case, my suggestion would be to use the 08:15 departure with one change that Laura mentioned. Travel time is 8H:14M which isn't too bad, and for me that's much preferable to the usual airport "dog & pony show". One other point to keep in mind with air travel is that European airlines sometimes have very restrictive luggage rules and extra costs, which could be an issue if you're travelling with larger luggage.

I don't mind slightly longer train trips as they're very relaxing and not too stressful. With an early morning departure, you might head to the station a bit early and pick up a sandwich and drink, although the longer trains usually have a dining car. Don't leave your luggage unattended while you visit the dining car.

Again as mentioned by Laura, all the tracks at Milano Centrale are on the same level. All you need to do when changing trains is walk to the end of the platform of your arriving train, check the Binario (track no.) of your next train and walk to the platform of your departing train. Note that you will have reserved seats on both trains so you'll have to check your ticket for the Carrozza (Coach) no. and the Posti (seat) no's.