1st or 2nd class rail

Unless you are traveling long distances a rail pass is usually more expensive than point to point tickets. You must add a 10 euro reservation fee for the high speed trains and a 3 euros fee for the IC trains. This adds to the cost of the pass. I always travel in 2nd class unless traveling over 4 hours. There is not that much difference in the two classes other than there is usually less people in first class so you can spread out a bit on some trips. Donna

Todd, I usually travel second class, as (IMHO) the extra cost for first class isn't worth it. Most of the my rail trips are ~4-hours, so second class is fine. Depending on your age, you may only be able to purchase First Class Railpasses (but you can certainly ride in second class with those). Note that Railpasses do NOT include the reservation fees that are compulsory with some trains. DON'T be caught on a train in Italy without a valid reservation or you'll be fined on the spot and it won't be cheap! Cheers!

None of our legs will be over 4 hours, and we will most likely be taking all high speed trains (between Rome and Naples, Venice and Florence, and Florence and Rome)...are reservations compulsory in both 1st and 2nd class?

For the high speed trains, all seats require reservations. I have found that keeping my luggage with me, behind my seat, easier in second class than first class on Italian trains. Watch out for the nuns who "steal" desirable reserved seats -- they count on intimidating people out of claiming their rightful seat. Happened to me twice Fall of 2009! One of those times I had to get the conductor to turn my reserved window seat back over to me... and it wasn't even a language issue!

You will most likely find that purchasing point to point rail tickets will be cheaper on your itinerary than a rail pass. You can do the math. www.trenitalia.it is the Italian rail sight for checking prices. When you calculate the the toal cost of the rail pass just remember to add in the cost of the seat reservation for each trip. 10 euro for ES trains and 3 euro for IC trains. When you purchase a ticket fro a train from a booth or a ticket machine, the price will include the required reservation if one is needed.

Todd, GAC does a great job in this post outlining the differences between 1st and 2nd class train cars. We primarily travel 1st class only on journeys over 5 hours - as GAC suggests. With the new MINI discounted fares, you can get some great deals - even on the more highly traveled routes such as Rome-Florence. It appears that more folks are having success booking through Trenitalia online so that may open up the opportunity for US credit card holders to get some of these deals - up to 67% off the BASE priced ticket! If you could get these specials, then there is no doubt they are far cheaper than the Rail Pass options... but do note, they are far more restrictive and you must be locked into that train and that time and date. What you gain in price, you give up in flexibiliy!

I don't ride the trains as much these days but when I do I sometimes pay the extra for 1st class. If it's a train that I know will be full and I'm travelling two hours or more, I've gotten tired of being crammed into a small seat with little to no leg room and the person next to me constantly brushing me every time he moves. Best of all, there's usually a lot less people in 1st class so we often have a whole section to ourselves.