Rail Pass

Biggest difference is seating, 2 & 1 vs 2 & 2, making it less crowded. Seats are more comfortable & service may be available as on an airplane. Sometimes you can score 1st class for 2nd class prices or a few euro more. Most travellers here find 2nd class adequate. www.seat61.com great for explaining European trains.

Thank you! I really didn't want to spend the extra $ unless 2nd class was a horrible experience.

2nd class is not horrible, it is perfectly adequate, way better then flying. The only difference in 1st class is the acreage per person, 2+1 seating versus 2+2 in 2nd.
Compare these two photos: 2nd class and 1st class.

For all you need to know about Italian trains, consult the Man in Seat 61: https://www.seat61.com/Italy-trains.htm

P.S.:
1) Some local trains do not have 1st class, 2nd only.
2) Why is this post titled "Rail Pass"? Rail Passes are not good value in Italy. It is way cheaper to buy advance tickets on the internet.

Rail Passes are not good value in Italy.

There is a new Trenitalia pass with no fees for mandatory seat reservations. Unfortunately it can't be used on Regionale trains, but those making a couple of long travels on high speed trains could break-even. Especially if they forgot to grab SuperEconomy tickets!

So rail passes aren't a good value? We will be there 2 weeks. Right now itinerary is Rome to Venice, Venice to Florence, short excursions from Florence, then Florence to Rome. We were considering doing a 3 day pass and then buy individual tickets for short trips. We live in the USA. Just trying to travel as budget friendly as possible. I appreciate all the input I've received.
Kay

Another vote for 2nd class unless you can get a price break on a higher-class advance ticket that makes the difference negligible.

You'll probably do better than a pass just buying advance tickets at bargain prices for your "fast train" journeys but the closer to your date of travel you go to purchase, the more likely they will have sold out of these particular tickets. That said, have a look into the pass Dario has mentioned (and which I've no experience with).

Oh and for those "fast train" runs (Rome>Venice, Venice>Florence, Florence>Rome) also take a look at Italo; it's a private rail service mostly to the major cities and offers competitive pricing:

https://www.italotreno.it/en

Their 2nd-class carriage versions are Smart and Comfort; both are reported to be very comfortable:
https://www.italotreno.it/en/the-train

https://www.seat61.com/italo.htm

But unless something has changed recently, Italo doesn't accept rail passes.

Buy the tickets from Rome to Venice, Venice to Florence and from Florence to Rome as soon as possible, to get the discounted (but not changeable) tickets. You can travel either with trenitalia.com or with italotreno.it , both sell cheap tickets for advance purchases. You won't find these tickets on the day of travel, they are capacity controlled and sell out quite quickly.

You'll use Regional trains for the day trips in Tuscany, since these trains can't sell out and offer no discounts you can buy the tickets just before getting on. Do not forget to time stamp them before boarding or you will be fined on the spot.

There are a few reasons why saving money with non-Trenitalia passes is quite difficult

1. You must buy at the counter a seat reservation before getting on all Trenitalia's high speed trains; add on 10 € per person, per train To the cost of the pass. The seat reservation is always included in the cost of tickets.
2. Pass holders can freely board only the slow regionale trains, but Regionale trains are so cheap that you would end up paying more
3. Italotreno does not accept passes. On the other hand Italo's discounted tickets are often the cheapest available tickets on sale on high speed routes.

As I wrote above, you could save money with the new Trenitalia Pass, but you must sit down and do the math.

mrmrsglass, 2 weeks is a bit short notice for the cheapest tickets.
I looked up "Roma Termini" to "Venezia S. Lucia" for 2 weeks time (Monday 26th August) on Trenitalia (Italian Railways): https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html
Prices in the range €49.90 to €54.90 (per person 2nd class).

"Venezia S. Lucia" to "Firenze S. M. Novella" on Thur 29th: €28.50
"Firenze S. M. Novella" to "Roma Termini": €25.
€49.90 + € 28.50 + €25 = €103.40
How much was your 3-day pass? Plus, with a pass you need to pay extra for reservations.

Be aware that the 3 day Trenitalia Pass must be used within 7 days time. 129 EUR for 2nd class, free seat reservations.
https://www.trenitalia.com/en/offers/trenitalia-pass.html

mrmrsglass, 2 weeks is a bit short notice for the cheapest tickets.

I'm not sure that by "We will be there 2 weeks" our OP means they'll arrive in Italy two weeks from now or they'll be traveling in Italy for two weeks. Hope it's the latter so they still have a good crack at some inexpensive tickets! OP, which is it?

I'm doing research. Our trip will be October 2021 for 14 days. This is to educate me about how the train system works. Other than flying into Rome we will be getting from city to city by train.

I read that it is best toi book your train tickets at least 120 days ahead. Do you agree?

I read that it is best toi book your train tickets at least 120 days ahead. Do you agree?

Not exactly. 120 days ahead (approximately) is when sales open. The advantage of buying early is that it is less likely the cheap seats have sold out. Buying now for October (60 days away) is plenty early enough.
Note, you buy tickets, not book. It is not a reservation you can cancel. Once you have paid for your ticket it is only valid on the train listed on the ticket and is not refundable.

And buy direct from the railway company: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html

And buy direct from the railway company:
https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html.

Right unless they use Italo for the longer hauls instead.
Noting again for any new posters,this trip isn't until 2021, in case that little fact gets buried in the rest of the text.

OP, there's one situation where we usually don't recommend purchasing advance tickets unless you get them cheap enough in advance to risk tossing. This would be if you are landing in a major city, like Rome, and traveling immediately to another, like Venice. As cancelled, seriously delayed flights, strikes and other air transport snags are not unknown, you can lose your investment if you miss your long-distance train. Even though buying "fast train" tickets on the spot is the most expensive way to go, you won't have to invest in those tickets TWICE should you have a transport delay.

If you bought 'em cheap and all goes according to plan, you're golden!

October 2021! I saw the "October", missed the "2021".
No way you can buy tickets until June or July 2021.
Times have only been published up to December this year (the timetables change twice a year in December and June).

If you look at times and prices before December, next year will be 90% the same.

I realize I can't purchase tickets now. We are just researching best traveling information. For example Rail Passes vs Point to Point tickets etc. I realize we aren't going tomorrow. But for this little gal from Alabama I want to be educated before I get there.

Do you agree?

Chris is right, but note that Trenitalia has been opening the sales of high speed trains 180 days in advance for 3 years now. It's Italotreno that starts selling its tickets around 120 days in advance. In 2 years everything can change, Italo could go bankrupt or get ahead of Trenitalia.
Even if Trenitalia's tickets will be available before, I would forget about trains schedules and fares till The 7th of June 2021 . On that day the new summer schedules of both companies will be fully uploaded on both sites for sure and you will be able to compare the prices.

My original question about the rail pass vs Point to Point has been answered. Also 1st class vs 2nd class. Thank you for everyone's help. I have made notes and am more confident and looking forward to the day when we actually start booking tickets. Wish us luck. #travelingnewbies #bucketlist #tripofalifetime