train travel in Italy

That is a tight schedule. LeFrecce and all the trains are pretty reliable except that things can happen. Since you are in Termini I would take the L Express to the airport and not the shuttle. LE runs twice an hour at :20 and :50 but double check those times. You will need to be in Termini by 9 AM to allow time to catch the LE and to be at the airport by 10 AM. Since it is a domestic flight you will check in at T-3.

You need to be at FCO airport at least 1h prior to departure because BA closes the check in 45 min prior to departure. However, just to be safe 75 to 90 min. prior to departure will give you peace of mind in case there is a long line at the security checkpoint. Stress causes heart attacks and the airports are statistically the places where heart attacks occur most frequently. So to be safe I would depart from Naples at the latest with the 8:00 am Freccia arriving at Roma Termini at 9:10am. Then you take the Leonardo Express of 9:22 which puts you at Fiumicino at 9:53. Even allowing 10 min. to walk to the terminal check in you'll have over 1h 40 min. You could even afford to miss the 9:22 Leonardo Express, because the next one, which departs at 9:52 will still get you there before 10:30am.

Carl, That trip should easily be possible, barring any "unexpected issues" such as a rail strike. However, I'd suggest that you leave LOTS of time, just in case of any problems. As you're going to LHR, your flight is an intra-Europe flight so two hours should be adequate for check-in and security (hopefully some of the others can confirm that). With that in mind, this is the method I'd probably use: > FrecciaArgento, dep. Napoli Centrale @ 07:30, arrive Roma Termini @ 08:40 > Leonardo Express, dep. Roma Termini @ 08:52, arrive FCO @ 09:23 If you buy your L.E. ticket locally it Italy, DON'T FORGET to validate your ticket prior to boarding the train on the day of travel, or you'll face hefty fines which will be collected on the spot! Your Freccia ticket doesn't need to be validated but note that it is specific to a particular train and departure time. If you miss the train specified on the ticket, you'll have to buy another ticket. You'll probably find that on the last day of that tour, that some of the group will be leaving to catch flights VERY early, and others will drift away at some point after breakfast. The Guide will sort out all the post-tour travel arrangements for everyone in the group. I'm sure you'll REALLY enjoy the South Italy tour. It's one of the best that I've taken, and the Guide on my tour was incredible. Buon Viaggio!

Is it too late to change your trans-Atlantic ticket to a multi-destination route? Using www.itasoftware.com I found one-stop connections into Rome and out of Naples to Seattle on Delta (and other airlines.) The price in October was actually a little cheaper than round-trip to and from Rome. Commuting by train back to Rome will cost extra money, time and hassles. Even with an alteration fee, you might come out ahead financially, as well as avoiding stress.