Trains

This previous reply to a similar question should be helpful:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/italo-verses-trenitalia-any-differences-or-preferences

not quite that simple ( I would add something to that thread but it's locked).

Trenitalia is the state railway company that operates various types of trains, although quite a lot of local trains are now contracted out or private or regional owned companies. They have a high speed "brand" Freccia.

Italo is a private company that competes with Freccia, especially Frecciarossa.

The BIG difference for some tourists is that Eurail passes aren't valid in Italo trains but are valid in Freccia.

The BIG difference for some tourists is that Eurail passes aren't
valid in Italo trains but are valid in Freccia.

True but looking back at the OP's itinerary, it's highly unlikely they are using Eurail passes....which aren't usually recommended for Italian itineraries.

I general people who are really into trains have strong opinions about seats, classes and amenities but for me the fast trains are equivalent. Even going from Verona to Salerno - the longest single leg I've done - I didn't find seat comfort to be an issue.

I think the biggest practical difference on the Treniatila is that when your are mixing fast trains with other trains booking through Trenitalia gives you a single vendor for the entire passage. If your Trenitalia train is late and makes you miss your next train they are obligated to make good on the next leg even if you purchased a discounted ticket.

For .Italo they are less likely to be affected by strikes since they are private and only do large runs between big cities. But that is less likely not immune.

Both companies have apps to check schedules and manage tickets.

My $.02, I love that the trains are an option but for me they are just ways to connect the parts of your trip not really part of the trip,
=Tod

seat61.com goes in to great detail about the differences. It is a great site for all things about European trains.

We went with Italo in October as it was best for our times, price, itinerary- but we have used both many times.

You can now actually book combination tickets covering Italo and regional trains to many destinations. That is possible because regional tickets are in principle flexible, so there is no issue combining a regional train with an Italo service. Italo's booking engine actually uses Trainline...