Train travel

She should know that with a Eurail Pass, she must buy seat reservations for Italian high speed Freccia trains and IC and EC trains. Figure about 10 EUR for each trip. Regional trains, she can just hop on and show her pass when asked.

I found the train system in Italy, just about as easy as anywhere else. Most often, we just buy the tickets in the station at a machine. For the longer/higher speed trains, it can make sense to purchase tickets in advance. It would help to know the itinerary. I don't think a rail pass for Italy makes sense and would probably make life more difficult for your friend.

Sometimes the Swiss Travel Pass makes sense, but given the short trip, I suspect it would just be better to buy tickets at the station.

Your friend should start here:

https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-italy.htm

It would be prudent for your friend to do some research on using the trains in Italy, as there are some potentially expensive caveats. This may be helpful - https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/italy-rail-passes .

A Rail Pass is usually not the best option for travel in Italy. A few points to consider......

• I don't believe Rail Passes are accepted by Italo Treno (the privately owned high speed rail network) so a pass won't help there.
• The high speed Trenitalia trains (ie: Frecciarossa, etc.) require compulsory reservations, which have to be purchased separately and are not covered by Passes. Those caught without a reservation will face hefty fines, which are often collected on the spot!
• The slower Regionale trains don't require reservations and a rail pass will work for those, although the daily cost of the pass may be higher than just buying the tickets locally.
• Locally purchased paper tickets (from a kiosk or ticket office) must be validated (time & date stamped) in the track side machines prior to boarding the train, or again hefty fines!. This website may be helpful - https://www.marthasitaly.com/articles/11/italy-travel-tip-validate-your-train-ticket .
• As I recall, tickets for Metro and local transport must also be validated. For travel within Rome, there are multi-day passes available - https://romesite.com/discount-cards.html?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=9121099404&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzdfc7b-7jQMVExCtBh0P1zeoEAAYAiAAEgJYSfD_BwE .
• I find it helpful to know which type(s) of trains I'll be using on any particular trip so that I have some idea of the tickets required.
• I usually look for train routes with the fewest numbers of changes. Changes can be a bit confusing at first.
• Although this is a bit "dated", it may be helpful - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n8rITO1Eek .
• Your friend can research train travel solutions on the Trenitalia website - https://www.trenitalia.com/it.html .

Hope this helps.