I've been checking somewhat obsessively since Trenitalia opened their summer schedule 3 weeks ago, and today Italo finally made tickets available post June 11. I've purchased the tickets I needed at good prices. A couple of interesting comparisons:
- Trenitalia normally has a large difference between 2nd class and 1st class pricing. Italo does not. For the Florence to Turin route I bought, the Italo "Smart" (2nd) class ticket was €46 while the Italo "Prima" (1st) class ticket was €48. So I bought Prima for the experience. Trenitalia was €33 and €61 super economy on the same route but they required a change in Milan. Italo is direct, no change.
- CaptainTrain could not find the lowest cost ticket for Italo but could for Trenitalia. The lowest they showed was €58 Italo. So it might be best to rely on the rail provider sites directly for purchase. Your mileage may vary, this is hardly a statistical sample.
I now have all four of the high-speed routes I need for June. I'll buy Regionale connections when I get there. 75 days to go!!