Some random thoughts from my just completed Italy trip of 16 days.
Cash--used almost none. Two of 5 lodgings needed cash for their tourist tax, the others were fine adding it to the card. Laundry, a calendar, a couple beverage bottles, a snack. Under 60 Euro total, which came from my diminishing left-overs; trip started in Zurich, never needed to get their CHF.
Leonardo Express. I noted questions on tickets here recently, how and when to get, etc. The entrance machines to the tracks for the LE now have on them card readers, Termini and FCO. No reason to worry about advance ticke or prior wrong time. Just use credit card to tap in and open the gate. Conductor will likely check ticket, at least he did this yesterday on way to FCO, but he reads it from your credit card and sees that it was used, no problems.
EES. I reported earlier of the process as it was in Zurich, they were doing it manually, and quick. Leaving FCO yesterday was no issue, facial recognition i.d.'ed us to our passports and gate opened. Not even stamped out. I will note that there were extensive walks involved at FCO, first way down to US security, then to the border, then to the end of T3, so off train to that area (from which we were then bussed to the outer gates) was pretty much an hour.
Central Rome transit jammed as usual. We "bandited" at least once on a bus as there was absolutely no way to get to a card reader before we got off. Never felt unsafe, although we always had a hand int pair pockets. Coming into Varenna was amusing, we were arriving via the train from Tirano about 6:30, a train that was picking up around 43,000 day-trippers returning to Milan. We actually had to fight our way off the train as the crowd entered in a furious surge with no regard for passengers getting off, pushing them back further away from the doors.
Taking the regional version of the Bernini Express - Zurich->Chur->Samedan->Pontresina->Tirano was spectacular, and easy to set up online once I figured out the locations.
Was surprised by how much smoking and vaping (tobacco) I saw in Rome, particularly among the late teen-early 20's set.