Thoughts on Italian Trains

Be aware Italian trains (in my experience) are not spot on time

Benito Mussolini has been out of office for a while, so trains don't run on time anymore.

But on Sunday there are national elections and the Duce's epigones have a chance to win, so some hope they might make Italy, if not Great, at least On Time Again.

We far prefer Italy 🇮🇹 keep its current power structure than to turn back the clock and bring back the likes of Berlusconi Salvini, and Meloni— whose political party co-opted the very same symbol of “Tricolor Flame,” the fascist political party founded in 1995 — and the motto from Mussolini’s time— “God, homeland and family” — while at the same time denying she has fascist sympathies.
Mamma Mia!

Our train rides in Italy were much less traumatic, but I did enjoy reading your post. Way back in 2015, EVERY time we got on a train, someone was already sitting in our reserved seats. On one train, our seats were occupied by an elderly couple who flatly refused to move. We sought assistance from a staff member. After a brief conversation with the occupants of our seats, he directed us to sit somewhere else.

hmm. i suppose one's mileage always varies. my one experience with a db ice train from amsterdam central to oberhausen in july was dismal and polar opposite compared to what i experienced in italy for the almost two months i spent traveling all over - from reggio calabria to padova and countless places in between. trains were mostly on time (except the one time due to a track incident), and comfortably empty. pretty much the same on frecciarossa down to narrow gauge railcars. on the other hand, the db train was packed like a sardine can and stopped multiple times in the middle of nowhere (probably for track clearance) and arrived in oberhausen over an hour late. max speed was about 165 kph whereas the frecciarossa frequently hit 299 kph. the dutch ns train system was great with plentiful and timely service and generally not packed.

Actually the punctuality of Italian trains during Mussolini’s regime is just another myth about fascism. Trains were just as late as any other time before. The only difference was that if someone dared to say they were late, that person would be bitten up by the fascist squads and forced to drink a liter of castor oil, as punishment Sometimes one could even be arrested or killed, simply for criticizing the regime. That was Fascism. Berlusconi was a joke of a politician, but please let’s not compare it to a bloody regime. It would be a disservice to my partisan uncle who was tortured by fascists, fought against it and spent a few years in German concentration camps for that. Fascism is something else.

This summer all Italy was packed. It looked like, after two covid years, all people wanted to travel at the same time.
Just to make a simple example, in August 2021, during my holidays in Innsbruck, I had to travel back to my work in Florence and then again to Innsbruck. I had no difficulties in finding places on trains, reserving just a couple days in advance. This year, a friend from a nearby apartment in Innsbruck had trouble in finding a train back to Italy, she had to cut her holiday short just to be sure to get a seat - another one had to travel standing.

We have taken Milano->Ravenna, Ravenna->Padua, Padua->Torino. Mostly left on time. Stations are crowded but not crazy, and no pickpockets were apparent. Our seats were fine, no problems with getting them.

My one complaint is that I was charged in dollars at a bad exchange rate, and lost $14.

I can't believe I'm writing this, but the myth about Fascism and trains, as many other myths, contains a grain of truth.

In 1934 the State Railways opened a second, longer railway tunnel under the Apennines between Florence and Bologna. Being built at a a lower altitude than the old one, the "Big Tunnel" changed the history of Italian railways decreasing the number of delays and cancellations especially during the winter.

So it's somehow true that the service improved during the Fascist period, but not because of Fascism. The truth is that the moment you have, for the first time, 2 railway tunnels under the Apennines instead of one, not offering a better service would have been impossible! Before 1934, any problem between Florence and Bologna, even a single train, simply cut the country in two.

Think at the positive effects of the 3rd tunnel under the Apennines, the high speed tunnel we all use today, and multiply them by 10. From a railway point of view, Italy is a funnel with 70% of passengers travelling on the same backbone and with the tighter chokepoint in the mountains.

Unfortunately for those who may win the next elections, the works of the Big Tunnel had started in 1920: 2 years before Mussolini took the power.

Thank you for the history, Dario! Fascinating stuff

I’ve been taking trains in Italy for 20 years, and the they all left and arrived exactly as per schedule.,
By the way, I was walking in Florence this morning, and discovered a museum dedicated to model trains!
I had not heard of it before.
Didn’t have time to go in , but might do another day.
It is called HZero….is on P. degli Ottaviano , very close to the P. S.Maria Novella.

The 1934 tunnel substituted the earlier itinerary Bologna-Porretta-Pistoia-Firenze, still open but now having very limited traffic. The earlier railway was single track, very steep, and with very serious problems with steam locos in tunnels. It was quite common for steam loco engineers to lose consciousness due to smoke in tunnels; and at some times, relief engineers had to be posted on horses, at the exit of tunnels, to chase trains and jump on locos taking control in place of their unconscious colleagues. Of course the new line through San Benedetto and Prato was an huge improvement, and for a long time one of the longest railway tunnels in the world.

For those interested in scenic train rides and also in thermal spas, the Pistoia-Porretta Terme-Bologna railway of 1864 is still operating. The train goes up in altitude a lot and you will be able to see great views of the mountains, at least while not under tunnels. If you go, from Pistoia to Porretta Terme is a quick and beautiful 50 min rail journey. Porretta is a quaint spa resort town that is worth a visit.

We had issues with French trains as well. We basically had to rent a car instead of taking the train which turned out to be OK. Just gotta be flexible

Should we buy intercity/trenitalia regionale tickets in advance as well? Say Lucca to Florence, or Lucca to Pisa?

@confuso
No. No need to purchase regional train tickets in advance. Seats don’t sell out. There are no discounts by buying ahead. You can buy them all the day you travel when you get to the station (or even with the trenitalia app).
Only fast high speed trains have discount benefits if you buy early (although with restrictions related to later changes or cancellations).

Following up on my own post, I want to make clear I am in love with European and Italian trains. My experiences of the .italo and Trenitalia trains were uniformly positive, outside factors out of the operator's control like sudden flocks of teens overwhelming a local train platform.

If only the US could have a similar system!