Train Travel

There is frequent service on high-speed trains on all your routes. You can book those trains up to 120 days in advance on trenitalia.com which is the Italian National Rail site. Doing so can get you a Super Economy fare (if the allotted number of tickets at that fare are not sold out). They sell out quickly so book ASAP. However, those tickets are for a specific departure date and time and are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Be sure you can commit before booking. While it's possible to book on the Trenitalia site without registering, things go more smoothly if you do. IMO, 1st class isn't worth the extra money. All you get is 2+1 seating rather that 2+2 seating. There is plenty of leg room in 2nd class.

Susin , Tim's advice is (as always ) excellent ! For further , very detailed information that will give you a solid grounding in rail service in Italy , spend time with the " Ron in Rome " website . If is well worth time invested ! P.S. Pay particular attention to Tim's remarks about booking at the start of the 120 availability window . The early bird catches the worm . By doing this , we were able to buy 9EU super economy fares for our trip last fall and were able to save about $300 USD on our tickets . Have a great time .

Susin, Travel via Freccia (high speed) trains is absolutely the best option. The trains reach speeds of 300 kmH in spots! As Tim mentioned, it is possible to pre-purchase tickets well in advance and get significant discounts. The tickets are generally structured as Super Economy, Economy and Base. If you buy early and can get Super Economy, the fares are really cheap! The cheapest tickets tend to sell out really quickly and the prices then move up to the next tier. I normally just buy tickets when in Italy, as that's very easy to do using the automated Kiosks. Of course, I'm usually paying "Base" fare which is more expensive, but I prefer the flexibility in case my plans change once I'm there. However, the Freccia trains have compulsory reservations which are specific to each train and departure time. If you pre-buy tickets and miss that train, the tickets are worthless and you'll have to buy more at full price. DON'T assume you can still use the same tickets! Those caught without a valid reservation / ticket for the train they're riding on may be fined on the spot and the fines start at €50 per person! The same fines apply for those riding Regionale trains (no reservation required) without validating their ticket. I wouldn't bother buying first class, as (IMHO) it's not worth the price. Second class on the Freccia trains is perfectly comfortable. Happy travels!

Hi Susin, We did that exact route in Sept. 11and it was a breeze. We bought our tickets in advance from the Trenitalia website. As the others have said, no need to splurge on 1st class. I bought the tickets several months in advance. Enjoy!

Thanks to everyone for all your help!! This is my first trip to Italy so I'm sure I'll have more as the planning continues.

Susin, as your planning becomes more specific, post to the "To The Boot" section - it's all Italy.