Amsterdam to Italy

OK - am posting to my own question - as I have done more investigation - it appears on Thalys webste I can take a train from Amsterdam to Brussels station Charleroi-Sud and I found a flight on RyanAir to Rome from Brussels South Charleroi Airport.

So how to get from the train statin to the airport and how much time should I allow between train arrival and flight?

If your goal is to get to CT, you can fly Transavia from Schiphol to Pisa or Rome.

If you do take Ryanair, it's only 5 or 6 miles from the train station to the airport, so a cab would probably be best. As for arrival, I guess that depends on how close you want to cut it. Ryanair opens its check-in desk two hours before flight time, and closes down 40 minutes before flight time...no exceptions. Being the "conservative" traveller that I am, I would time my arrival at the train station no later than 2 1/2 hours before flight time...even then, you'll probably still encounter a lineup at the check-in. If you do take the train, and if it fits your schedule, take one lablled IC (Inter City) all the way. One labelled "Thalys-IC" will cost you more because you'll be taking the Thalys from Amsterdam to Brussels. But it won't get you there any faster, since the high-speed rail lines in the Netherlands aren't ready yet. You can check train schedules here. Click on the "international" button before entering Amsterdam, and use "Charleroi." It will then give you the option of choosing "Sud" or "Ouest."