Embarrassing Freccia Train Question - Rome to Florence

There is no way to tell, so you should choose seats around a table (Trenitalia lets you choose). That way, one of the seats will face forward.
There is nothing weird or embarrassing about your problem, my mother has the exact same issue, and uses the same workaround.

Thanks, balso for confirming my plan to select seats facing each other rather than next to one another. This way we can just switch. On that Liverpool/London ride we were adjacent. I live outside of NYC and on our old commuter trains you were able to switch the seats by sliding the back in either direction! This was a godsend for me when I used to commute to the city.

I had this problem on the Thalys between Amsterdam and Paris. Hadn't expected to be so uncomfortable facing backward. I agree that getting opposite-facing seats will give you and your husband the choice. Now all you need is his OK! ;-)

I will be booking a train from Rome to Florence in March and didn't even think of this. I have taken train trips before and don't remember having to sit backwards. I have always sat facing forwards.
Are you booking first class?

Thanks, Dick glad to hear I am not alone. My husband won't mind -- he loves all those scary, jarring amusement park rides and as soon as the ride is over he wants to go again!

Judy B, haven't decided but probably not first class. I will have to see what the fares are and then I will decide if I want to treat myself or save the $ for more gelato.

Below is a link to Freccia videos and pictures. They show seating arrangements and what you might see from them. From there you can explore more about train travel in Italy at the Man in Seat 61.

https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/frecciarossa.htm#Watch_the_Frecciarossa_video

If you haven't traveled at the speeds the Freccias go (200kph/124mph, 250kph/155mph or 360kph/223mph), depending on the color that follows Freccia) and you watch the videos, you may discover that the scenery looks about the same no matter which way you sit.

https://www.trenitalia.com/en/frecce.html

Another issue people sometimes have with high speed trains is focusing on scenery too close to the train and getting trainsick. Aim for the horizon.

Nowadays seat direction is fixed, so no more pushing the seat back and forth. Also note that within the Freccia branding, there are three color levels and on the fancier trains there are at least 3 ticketing levels, sometimes four. I believe the price differences are not so great that you can't sit in a better class.

There is lots more where this came from, but my French friend the train vlogger recently posted this trip report:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op-pQqbwkw0

Thank you Phred and Lo! Those links are going to be great and good to know about focusing on the horizon rather than the foreground.

I've had similar problem as a child on long car rides -- had to sit in the front seat. Also, on buses I need to be close to the bus driver! Maybe the train conductor will allow me to sit up front with him or her!😊

The seat direction is almost unpredictable. The suggestion to book two front seats is probably the only solution.
What to remember is that trains now can travel in both directions and a lot of train stations are the one we call "head station". For example Roma Termini, Firenze Santa Maria Novella, Venice... In those stations the rail end in the station, so the train enter in one direction and exit in the opposite direction. In other stations (for example Bologna) the train flow through it, without change the direction.
Your travel will be short and probably with no stops between. But if for example you take a Frecciarossa from Venice to Rome the train probably stops at Bologna and Florence, so you switch the travel direction once in Florence.

Ricky, thanks for taking the time to reply. So good to have all this information. Helpful people and the internet make traveling easier.

It will take some work on your part but you can pick the seat that is best for you. I'd look at the map of your particular car and choose seats that face each other across a table. This way you're covered no matter if the train is coming head or tail first. Once you decide which type of train you want to book on just look up the configuration of the cars and pick the seat that offers you some flexibility. I have no problem sitting backwards but I always liked to pick my seats and get my reservation confirmed before travel. Good luck.

Jack -- yes, I think that is the best strategy -- selecting seats that face each other across a table. Also, I am fairly sure we will still be wearing masks on Italian trains in May -- so I need to up my comfort game.

As I've gotten older, traveling has required me to take more measures and significant advance planning. Kind of miss my youth when a knapsack and excitement were the extent of my planning and packing. But then again, I had no money so trips were more limited in other ways. Thanks for taking the time to offer assistance.

I am glad to be of assistance. We too are returning to Europe in late May after a 28 month break (by that point) and we are very excited/anxious. I hope you have a great time. Good luck and happy travels!

Good plan to book two seats that face each other...problem solved!
You want to enjoy the ride and not feel ill.
Keep a lookout for sale prices, and look at Italo trains as well as Trenitalia.

Thanks for the tip, SJ!