its easiest to go through the actual companies, trenitalia and italo, 2 different companies and 2 different trains......they could be showing the different prices because of the cheaper seats (super economy) are sold out....so the earlier you buy the better....

We bought ours directly from train website. If you're traveling on a Saturday there's a 2 for 1 deal you can take advantage of.
http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en?

Choose whichever is cheapest. Trenitalia and Italo are different train operators with different departure times. Each company offers three fare ranges (such as Super Economy, Economy, and Base) within each class of service, at basically the same prices. Each range has limited seats available and different refund/exchange restrictions. The cheapest seats may be sold out on one departure but not another. US agents like Rail Europe sell for both companies. If you're still shopping around, be sure that you're comparing the same train and that you know which Rome station it's using (Termini or Tiburtina).

Last summer I booked tickets Naples to Rome directly at Italo website. Very easy to do, and such a good price I booked upgraded seats. The train was very nice and the seats were comfortable.

Lisa,

As Laura mentioned, Trenitalia and Italo are different rail companies, so the prices may vary on the same route. Prices may also vary depending on how far in advance you're trying to buy tickets.

The easiest way to buy tickets for either Trenitalia or Italo, is to use the www.captaintrain.com website which sells tickets for both, at the same price as the rail networks.

Lisa,

How far out are you trying to book these tickets? Is it just one train, one way, from Rome to Naples?

Thank you everyone. Yes one way Rome to Naples. The difference was big from raileurope for instance $70 for an Exec seat to trenitalia at $95 and I can only book 5 tickets at the most. I need to book for six people.

Are you talking about $95 for all 6 tickets or for one ticket? I am seeing the one hour fast trains on trenitalia coming in as low as 20 Euros per ticket for a random August date I chose.

Also - here's the Italotrain purchase page: https://biglietti.italotreno.it/Booking_Acquisto_SelezioneTreno_A.aspx. They'll sell you 6 tickets. Easy to do and their trains start at about 15 Euros per person for the fastest trains on the random August date I picked.

I've bought tickets from them before. Print at home and they worked perfectly.

for one ticket.

Here is what I found, leaving Monday August 8th
Raileurope: 10:10 from Termini to Napoli Central Frecciarossa #9607
Business Class=$414 total for 6/or $69 each

Exec Class=$568 total for 6/$94 each

Trenitalia: same exact train, cannot buy more than 5 at a time. So here they list different econ/super econ/base, etc) Premimum=$49.34 each for economy/$64 each for base
Exec class=$84 each for economy
then there is this "upgrade estate" which descriptions says "for travel between 6/12-8/31 tickets for Exec Level @ full base of Business" and same for Business Level @ full base of Standard

Upgrade Estate: Exec=$64 each - this would be my choice though I am nervous purchasing separately

Captaintrain
same exact train
Business=64.84 each
Exec Class=$114.29 each

I know I overthinking this but as you can see the pricing is different. My husband is a travel snob and wants either business or exec class - i want to make sure we are all together and my luck would be purchasing a 4 ticket and 2 ticket separately and not getting on the same train. The upgrade estate seems ideal but again, nervous as to what I am buying. ugh...

This is a one hour train ride. Second class tickets are fine...the cars look virtually the same. Seats are big and comfortable. Buy from Italotrain for 15 Euros each and spend 75 Euros instead of 400 or 600.

If you are going on Monday the 8th of August the seats are disappearing before your eyes.

I've just seen a bunch of 6 on the Italo 10:55 from Tiburtina in Prima for just one Euro more than in Smart, so your hubby can be as snooty as he wants. €37.90 each. That is at the Economy level, the lower two sets of prices are all sold out.

I guess you can be a class snob as long as it doesn't cost too much.

I will say, if you were further out in time and had more choices, that the seats in Smart, and especially in Extra Large, are plenty fine, no snobbery needed. All seats on Italo are leather, Corinthian leather, and there is free wifi. For a one hour and 7 minute journey, how much snobbery do you need?

Is it really necessary to purchase tickets in advance? Or just for special trains? I'm going from Naples to Rome on a Saturday in mid-September and I thought a person could just buy it the day before or that day?

Barbara - NO ticket needs to be purchased in advance. You can buy a ticket the day of your journey, if you wish, but can often get in on some price breaks by doing it in advance. Those also go very quickly.

And honestly, we've only traveled 2nd class/economy (never business/executive/1st class) on Italian trains and been perfectly happy. There really isn't a huge difference between classes to warrant paying a premium price tag, and definitely not for a 1-hour, fast-train journey between Rome and Naples. No question, I'd jump on those €37.90 economy tickets on Italo.

Thank you all! One last time for questions - I had read different things about the luggage storage. I read that you would want to watch your luggage. Where is the storage on the italo trains and also read that italo doesnt leave out of Termini, but it is a choice on their website when purchasing.

Italo services Termini so just choose that as your departure station. As to luggage - for your basic size luggage...22 inch type...you can just stick it in the rack above your head. It's like the overhead storage on an airplane but it's not enclosed, just a rack. If you have larger bags, you might need to use the luggage storage at the end of the car. It's just an open area where people will be placing their bags, right at the end of the car. There's usually a rack there and some room on the floor.

But you will have little concern about watching it as the next stop after Rome is at Napoli where you will be getting off.

As all seats are reserved and the doors don't open before the end of your trip there will be little scope for anybody wandering off with your luggage.

Italo used to only be able to serve Roma Tiburtina. In the last year or so they can serve both Tiburtina and Roma Termini, so you have choice.

Don't worry about your luggage. If a larger case doesn't fit in the rack above your head, just stow it in the space at the end of the carriage designed for it. Sometimes there's also a space between the back of your seat and the one behind/in front of you it can fit into. If you're really nervous, get a luggage cable and secure them to the carriage-end rack. Keep smaller carry-ons with you.

We don't worry much about our luggage on the fast trains but we do keep a sharper eye on it when traveling some of the regionale or urban trains.

We booked Rome to Naples via Trenitalia site. We used the Business Class super economy - plenty of space for luggage - overhead racks on the Frecciarossa 500's will hold pretty good size cases. Behind seats good as well

Cost was Euro 74.80 Rome to Naples - TOTAL for 3 people down and then Euro 86.80 return to Rome for the same three, so 161.60 total cost for three people = 53.86 R/T per person, bearing in mind one of us was a 10 year old (and that discounts). We purchased 13 days before travel on line. This was June of this year.

Rough figures is 30 bucks each way per person after currency exchange. Not terrible, in fact 2nd class was really not much cheaper.