Italy Florence to Ravenna

Define best. Cheapest, fastest. Cheapest would be the morning Regionale direct at 7:29 with a return at 17:22. Fastest would be a Freccia to Bologna then switch to a Regionale.

And the most scenic would be using the Faentina Railroad from Florence to Faenza (Florence-Marradi-Faenza), then on to Ravenna on another train.

I believe the direct train is to Faenza, continuing on to Ravenna. Bologna is not listed as a stop on this route.

There is a train leaving Firenze SM Novella at 7:29 and takes 2hours 44 minutes, about €11. Quicker is one that leaves a little earlier, has one change, and takes 1 hour 54 minutes. Several trains change in Bologna, which is a big multi-level station, you may want to leave a connection time of at least 15 minutes.

Fastest is a fast train to Bologna and then switch to a Regionale train there. The new fast line, very straight and almost all in tunnels, makes the leg between Florence and Bologna possible in 35 minutes; there is no faster way, probably not even by helicopter. But fast trains have an high price tag, no matter if for so short a stretch, exact prices depends on specific time and type of ticket.

The old and slow ("far west") line between Firenze and Faenza is scenic and very cheap, but it takes more time and a change in Faenza. The Faenza-Ravenna line has sparse service and sometimes there are buses substituting trains.

I recently did Florence to Forlì (a town near Ravenna) via fast train and it was very easy and convenient. I remember that the last time I was in Ravenna I returned via Faenza just for the sake of it (when I was a child I did this itinerary fairly frequently), and it was somewhat tiring. The fast trains tracks in Bologna are underground and quite distant from surface tracks, so you need 15-20 minutes to change trains and in each case walk immediately to your connection track without wandering around.

If you can commit to travel on a specifc day and times, super economy Freccia tickets between Florence and Bologna might be available for as little a 9 euro each way. The regional leg will be another 7.10 euro each way.

curious about the Faenza connection. I'm planning a day trip to Ravenna from Bologna. Is Faenza worth a couple of hours to see the ceramics?