Train from Fiumicino (FCO) to Termini station to Florence.

gltj1, I don't know what time your flight is supposed to get in but there is a DIRECT train from Fiumicino airport to Firenze S.M. Novella station at 11:08. Takes 2 hours and 14 minutes. There is another one at 15:08 (3:08 PM). What time are you supposed to arrive?

The 2 trains above are listed on the Trenitalia website.

Don't worry about Termini: you'll want to secure your valuables (not in a purse or pockets) and keep a tight hand on your bag but you'll want to do that at pretty much any train station in Italy.

There is no way to predict how long the luggage and immigration process will take, or even if your plane will land on time. But if the timing works out, there are direct trains from Fiumicino airport at 11:08 and 15:08. Otherwise, there is a connection using the Leonardo Express to Termini connecting to a train to Florence every half hour.

Returning, you do have the option of using Italotreno as well as Trenitalia, but they are less frequent than Trenitalia, which is just about one every half hour. As far as being accosted by ne'er-do-wells, I know not except to proceed with confidence and ignore any attempt to strike up a conversation and especially if someone offers to clean pigeon poop off of you.

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! I (hopefully) arrive at 1:10 PM local time on British airways. Hopefully it will be on time and a quick process through customs. I`ll check the Trenitalia web site. Thanks again. George

Let us know if you can't see that 15:08 train (no changes)?

And really, I'm a 5'2" female and wouldn't have any issue dealing with Termini by myself. Again, though, NO WALLET or anything else in a pocket you can't afford to lose (as you are a George, I assume you aren't carrying a purse), keep a hand on your bags and don't let anyone distract you. Walk like you're on a mission. :O)

Thank you Kathy!! Depending if I make it on time, I will go for the direct train. If not, I`ll take the one stop at termini. You have relieved my worries! On to Florence...then Rome! George

George,

As the others have said, you won't have any trouble getting from FCO to Florence, either using one of the direct trains or one with a change in Rome. You may find it helpful to check the schedules for next Saturday so you have some idea what your options are when you buy a ticket....

http://www.trenitalia.com/

There are a few important points to note....

• If you don't manage to connect with a direct Freccia train to Florence, you'll most likely be using the FM/FR1 train to Roma Tiburtina rather than the Leonardo Express to Roma Termini. You'll need to check the schedules so that you know which train to board at the airport. There are two trains that serve the airport, the L.E. and the FM/FR1 so be sure to board the correct train! If in doubt, ask someone or you'll end up at the wrong station and won't be able to connect with the high speed train you booked.
• Both the Leonardo Express and the FM/FR1 are Regionale trains so you MUST validate your ticket prior to boarding the train or risk a hefty fine, *which will be collected on the spot!
  
• The high speed Freccia trains from Rome to Florence have compulsory seat reservations, so you'll be assigned a Car no. (Carrozza) and a Seat No. (Posto), which will be listed on the ticket. The seat reservations are specific to train, date and departure time, so the ticket can only be used on the one train listed. If you board another train by mistake, again hefty fines collected on the spot!

You will need to be somewhat vigilant about pickpockets and scammers anywhere in Italy. Wear a Money Belt and don't access it where others can see. Keep a few Euro in an easily accessible pocket for daily expenses.

Note that the Trenitalia website shows all of this Saturday afternoon's trains from Fiumicino to Florence connecting through Tibertina and not Termini. Unless you take the direct train, be sure to verify whether you're on the regional train to Tiburtina or the Leonardo Express to Termini. If you connect at Tiburtina, you may need to walk about 5 minutes between tracks. I had to do that last time I changed at Tiburtina. I've taken the 11:08 direct train a few times and highly recommend the 15:08 direct train if that works for you. It will also save you money as the cost from the airport is the same as from Termini or Tiburtina, saving you either 14 euro or 8 euro,

Its not that the the trains don't connect at at Termini, they do, but it is a good point that if you want to avoid Termini, you can take a Regionale train from the airport, NOT the Leornardo Express. The Regionale train makes many more stops, but does not stop at Termini, but at Tiburtina where it connects to the same trains leaving Termini on the way to Florence, and yes, it is a little cheaper. The connection at Tiburtina is up the escalator to the cross-over bridge then to your new track, then down the escalator to the platform.

Thank you Ken, Frank, and Sam! Will do!

Roberto just recently let us know that there is now a direct bus to and from Florence to FCO - no need to go through Termini at all: FiumicinoExpress.com.

Do these trains stop at Camucia-Cortona? We also will be taking a train from the FCO airport on a Friday. We hope to take the train into Rome and then transfer to a train that will stop at Camucia-Cortona. How long does it take? We are staying in Cortona.

allofus2,

It might have been better to start a new thread with this question.

For travel to Cortona, you'll have to follow a slightly different route. Most of the trains on that route will be Regionale so DON'T forget to validate your tickets prior to boarding on the day of travel. I assume you'll be buying tickets at the airport rail station?

The exact composition of the trains you'll need will depend on what time your flight arrives and therefore which trains you can connect with. In some cases you'll need to take the Leonardo Express to Termini, and in others you'll have to take the FM/FR 1 Regionale to Tiburtina. Be sure to board the correct train! You can see all the solutions on the Trenitalia website.

From Tiburtina there may be one or two changes (ie: Chiusi-Chianciano Terme) before arriving at Camucia-Cortona. When you arrive at the Cortona station, you'll have to take a Bus or Taxi up the hill to the town (takes 10-15 minutes as I recall). The easiest solution when arriving with luggage would be to ask your hotel to have a Taxi waiting, or call the hotel when you arrive and ask them to send a Taxi (that's what I've done in the past in other locations).

You can check the train routing on the TrenItalia website. Use "Fiumicino Aeroporto" as your origin. It appears that you will need to go into Rome (either Termini or Tiburina, depending) and change trains there. In some cases there will be an additional transfer. You may see a considerable range of prices since you'll likely be buying last-minute tickets due to uncertainty about your arrival time. Be sure to pay attention to the trip duration, because sometimes the cheaper trains aren't much slower than the costly trains, and you may have fewer transfers (albeit with more stops along the way).