flying premium economy vs business to Rome RT?

I suspect that differences will be highly variable based on which airline and the particular aircraft you are on. I can only speak about Virgin Atlantic PE. A true premium economy cabin to me. You basically get more. More leg room. I think 38 inch vs maybe 32 in tightest coach configuration. More shoulder room. They take out a seat or 2 in each row. More recline maybe 4 inches but not anything close to lie flat. And you get a footrest.

Fewer seats and more leg room equate to more overhead space per passenger. So easier to find room for your carry on. Dedicated checkin lanes. Dinner served on a cloth table cloth with metal cutlery. Earlier boarding than most coach.

The experience on Virgin’s A350 is not as nice. I read they put in an additional seat in each row so there’s less shoulder room.

I’ve been fortunate enough to fly in the pointy end a few times. Whole different world there. Lie flat seats. Departure lounges. Sometimes an arrival lounge to grab some breakfast coffee and a shower after an overnight flight.

Hard to say if it’s worth it. Like you I think of the things I could do with the fare difference. But for me coach has gotten so miserable that I wouldn’t make it to Europe if I didn’t spring for PE. As I get older I find that I’m more willing to spend for comfort in general.

Edit. My experience is on Virgin’s 787. I had a look at seatguru. They show 7 across in PE and 9 in coach. On the A350 PE is 8 across ve 9 in coach.

Hard product PE seats do not lie flat, but do have significantly more recline than economy or "economy plus" / "comfort plus." Seats are wider and generally more comfortable. Better storage and there will be better overhead bin space. Think similar to domestic first class.

Soft product should include better food & drink on china/glassware/flatware/cloth napkin, but on a single tray vs. courses in business.

Having flown PE my last TATL leg in 2019, it is now my minimum booking level.

For good fares in Business class, set a fare alert in Google Flights and be flexible.

What I find is that, post-Covid, Biz fares have dropped while Econ fares have risen substantially.

P.E. products vary greatly and some are worth the extra $.

We fly PE to London on the daytime flights out of NYC or Boston. We fly into one of those cities the day before. If we are going to a city other than London, we stay overnight at Sofitel LHR and fly out in the morning.
Remember the old Business Class seats? PE is more like that. Much more comfortable but if you want to sleep, go BC. If you want a flat bed you need to book Business Class.

I'm the outlier. Because my husband travels for work and flies in business class and it embarrasses him for me to sit in PE, I have flown business class on the overnight flight to Europe on a number of trips in recent years. I find the lie-flat bed to be too narrow for comfort(and I'm normal size and 5'5") I will confess that I have not flown regular economy overseas in years-I will pay for PE for the leg room and somewhat larger seat.

My thought process, which I admit may be wrong ...

slightly fewer people in your section of cabin. perhaps food sooner, and slightly more attention from the crew. Eating earlier means shutting your eyes for sleep earlier.

More seasoned travelers in the other classes. Fewer families means fewer children.

Landing at my destination even 10% more refreshed and 50% more cheerful will go a long, long way.

I worked hard early in my 20's. I can indulge at times. Then again, I can sleep sitting in a kitchen chair.

But Business Class may be pushing it but always considered.

Last week, we completed a grand cabin class experiment. Previously we have flown Premium Economy to Europe, domestic PE and domestic first class, but this was our first time flying transatlantic business. (As others have noted there is no standard for any class from airline to airline, plane to plane. You have to carefully read the fine print to see what is offered in cabin class “A”, on airline “X”, on equipment “Y”.)

From Seattle to Paris we flew overnight on Delta One (lie-flat suites) and coming back three weeks later we were in Delta Comfort on a daytime flight. Our goal was to compare the value of the two fare class experiences. (Delta did not offer Premium Economy on our flight or we would have chosen that slightly higher class for our trial).

We had high hopes that for the extra money (about $1000 each) we would sleep on our flight and arrive relaxed and rested adding immeasurable value to our trip. We even gradually changed our sleeping schedule in the weeks prior to our departure to be extra sleepy on the plane. It didn’t happen for us. Delta One was lovely - nice food, excellent service, seats that converted to a lie-flat bed with a comfy pillow and blanket, but neither my husband nor I slept more than 2 hours. That’s about how much sleep we have previously managed in transatlantic Premium Economy. We rested comfortably and neither of us walked off the plane with a crick in our neck, but as sleep was our goal, we agreed it wasn’t worth the money for us.

To complete the experiment, coming home in Delta Comfort on a day flight offered the bare minimum of extra leg room and recline so that we both felt just comfortable enough on the 10 hour flight.

Our conclusion: from our previous experiences, Premium Economy hits the sweet spot for us offering a bit more of everything - legroom, seat width, recline and cushion, better meal service and usually a foot rest. I’m 5’2” tall and my big issue is that my feet don’t touch the floor. The pull-down foot rests often offered in PE make a huge difference to my comfort.