Travel from Rome to Santa Margarite

Train is the easy way to S. Margherita Ligure from Rome, about 5 hours. If that's your destination, use that spelling. The coastal train line usually requires a connection at Rapallo (right next door) or an inland route would connect at Milan (and probably cost a little more). See www.trenitalia.com or Looking Up Train Schedules and Routes Online.

Easier than flying, Alitalia has flight takes one hour for $49. Is there something I dont know about flying around Italy?

www.trenitalia.com
From:
ROMA (TUTTE LE STAZIONI)
To:
SANTA MARGHERITA LIGURE-PORTOFINO
Date:
Choose a date prior to June 10 to see schedule, the summer timetable is not published yet.
Hour:
00 (that way you see all departures since early morning)
All options require a change in Chiavari.

Is there something I dont know about flying around Italy?

Sue, train is the recommendation as airports are often some distance outside of the cities, and what with having to be there in advance, deal with security, etc. it's often just easier and faster to take the trains. You can hop on one right in the middle of Rome and get off (with that one change Roberto noted) at Santa Margherita. Have more than carryon baggage or carryons which may exceed a budget airline's limit? Start adding $$. Baggage size is no problem on the trains.

5 hours is about the limit between choosing train over plane but not having to deal with two airports and being able to depart from the middle of one city and arrive at the edge of another would be the deciding factors for me.

The train is faster, cheaper, more comfortable. I know Americans are not used to high speed trains, but they exist in the developed world.
If you fly it's more than the 49€ you saw advertised.
It is:
Taxi from Rome to airport: 48€ (Or 15€ per person by train)
Airfare:49€
Transportation from Genoa airport to station:8€
Train from Genoa to SML: 4€
So the total is over 100€ one way.
The high speed train costs FULL WALK UP FARE: 65€ (less if you book in advance).

The train is just as fast too. less than 5 hours from downtown Rome to Downtown S. Margherita.
The airplane flight is only one hour, but you need to add:
45 min from Rome to airport
75 min at least for check in and security
60 min flight
30 min deplaning and bag claim in Genoa.
30 min for ground transport from airport to Genova PP station and ticket purchase
45 min for train from Genova to SML
And that assumes so flight delays and no waits for train.
So the total time is still at least 5 hours, but you had to transfer in multiple modes of transportation.

The train is also more comfortable. A second class seat on a train is more comfortable than a business class on a plane and you can walk around too.

I am hearing all of you and thank you, does it make a difference that we are putting our kids on plane at 1030 that morning so we are already there or is it still a pain?

Sue, is there a reason you need to go to the airport (which airport? Rome has two.) with your young people? I think I remember you saying that they're adults?

If you have to go to the Rome FCO airport regardless, then the flight becomes a more viable option.

You've already spent the money and the time to get all the way there, so if the flight to GOA is convenient, you might as well consider it. Otherwise you have to spend money and time to get back to Rome Termini station to catch the train.

But if your kids are adults, maybe they don't need you to chaperone them all the way to the gate (only ticketed passengers can go to the gate anyhow), you can wave them good by in the hotel lobby before they catch a taxi to the airport.

Emphasizing this line in Roberto's post: "...so if the flight to GOA is convenient..." Train might still be the better option if you end up killing a lot of time waiting for a flight. That would also be painful time to spend if you've already sat around for some time waiting to put your kids on a flight. I'll assume they're flying out of Fiumicino? You are all staying in Rome the night (or for several nights) before?

We are staying in Rome both flights would leave at 1030, we would see them off at drop off and go to our flight and they theirs. But I get your point!

For your kids to catch a transatlantic flight departing at 10:30, they need to get there at about 8am. I recommend they (and you if you go to the airport together) depart from the hotel by taxi between 7 and 7:30am.

If the flight to GOA departs at 10:30 from FCO, then you arrive at 11:40 at GOA.
If everything goes smoothly you could make the train departing at 12:40 from Genova Piazza Principe station and be at S. Margherita Ligure at 13:41.

If your kids go to the airport on their own, you can take the train at 6:57 am (about the time your kids take the taxi to the airport) and get to S. Margherita at 11:54 (two hours earlier than the airplane options). Or you can sleep a bit longer and take the train from Rome at 9:57am and get to S. Margherita at 15:13 (about 90 min after the airplane option). This second option is on a cheaper InterCity Train and costs only 52 euro. The IC is only slightly slower than the Frecciabianca train.

The duration is similar and the train is cheaper, but if you opt to take your kids to the airport to wave them good bye, then the airplane is faster and cheaper (assuming the 49euro fare) because you don't have to incur the cost and time to back track back to Roma Termini station (Rome main station).