Best way to travel between locations in Italy - train or plane??

Sara: I'm coming to Halifax in May instead of going to Italy again. Trains are frequent and relatively inexpensive in Italy. They're the only way to travel from city to city. Just be sure to give yourself enough days in each of these fabulous destinations.
Enjoy!

Hi Sara. Train is best; flights not practical for any of those. Use site trenitalia.com; August tix not availble yet but use dates in May to get the idea. Use station names Venezia SL, Monterosso, Firenze SMN, Roma Termini. Enjoy your trip!

Sara, As the others have mentioned, travel by train is absolutely the best option between the places you mentioned. At least part of your trips will be via high speed trains which travel at up to 300 kmH, so they're often quicker than flights when all is considered. Depending on the departure and arrival stations, you can use either Trenitalia (the state railway) or the new Italo service (they only have limited runs at this time). Between smaller towns, Trenitalia will be the only option. Which of the five Cinque Terre towns will you be staying in? The trip from Venice to the C.T. will take 5-6 hours, depending on which train you choose. Note that many places in Italy have more than one station, so you'll need to specify the correct departure and arrival stations when you buy tickets. There are a few potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of when riding trains in Italy. If you need further information, post another note. You may find it helpful to have a look at the Italy 2013 Guidebook, as it has a lot of good information on getting around in Italy. You could also check the excellent Ron In Rome website for information on train travel in Italy. Happy travels!

We too are going to Italy for the first time this fall. Another poster advised us to join the Trenitalia website because that would make scheduling tickets much easier as a member. We did, and our practice bookings for tickets later this fall are accomplished in a flash. Prior to joining, we sometimes had problems on the site. For all train travel across Europe, check out www.seat61.com.

Traveling by train in Italy is easy and relatively cheap, especially when you can purchase your tickets in advance, then you it's possible to get discounted Super Economy fares for as low as only 9 euro, also on some occasions it's possible to travel a bit cheaper when using Italo trains (instead of Trenitalia) or regional trains
For a good overview of trains and fares in Italy would recommend to read through europetrainsguide.com and seat61.com

I've always taken the train in Italy except for the time I flew from Venice to Palermo. For your itinerary, I would take trains. Even from Venice to Rome, if you went there directly, I think the train would work better than a plane. The time involved in getting to/from airports cancels out any savings of time by flying.

You are going to die of the heat in August.

Some people are more tolerant of heat than others. I like going to Europe in the summer because the air conditioned buildings are comfortable and not meat-locker cold like they are in the US. To assume that all are heat sensitive and will 'die of the heat' is wrong. Yes, it is likely to be hot but one can dress appropriately, drink frequently, take breaks in the middle of the day, swim etc. to stay comfortable.

Keep in mind that if you buy tickets in advance to get the lower fare you lock yourself in to specific dates and times and lose a lot of flexibility - and your money if you miss the train.