It would be very nice to see Italy by rail. This is another European country rich in history and very fine food and wine. You can get around in Italy by rail just as any other country on this continent however it is reported that you need a little more patience to do rail travel in Italy. The national rail system is operated by TrenItalia. The trains are reported not to be quite as on time as other countries. However, maybe it is good to be laid back once in awhile as you tour Europe. You are on vacation usually when you are touring.
The Italian trains tend to be quite crowded at some locations so it is recommended that you make reservations which you can do up to three hours before boarding time. They are also known as the Eurostar Italia trains although they have no association with the Eurostar that runs between Paris and London. Some trains might give you a little flexibility and allow you to make reservations up to 30 minutes before boarding time. Reservations are going to cost you a little extra money but it is probably worth it as on some of the busier routes you might have to wait in line for up to three hours. A private train cabin is recommended in Italy if you’ll be traveling a long distance.
There are also the Intercity and Intercity Plus trains. These trains will run the full length of Italy and make stops at the large metropolitan centers. On these trains you have first and second class available. Intercity Plus trains require that you make reservations and this additional reservation fee is figured into the ticket price.
The Diretto and Interregionali Trains translate from Italian into English as the Direct and Inter-Regional Trains. The Interregionali is the fastest of the pair of trains. These are reliable trains and are usually priced affordably. But as with most trains in Italy, you will find that seats are hard to find on these major rail routes. Busy times occur in August and holidays. If you want to increase your likelihood of getting a seat, just ask for first class.
In each train station you have yellow/orange train schedules on display. You want to check the yellow/orange-colored poster for departures. This schedule tells you the route and the major intermediate stops in addition to the times of the trains. There is a notes column you should check as well. Don’t be surprised if there are changes during the weekends and holidays.
Also, keep in mind that many Italian trains will have supplemental fees on top of the tickets you buy. Usually this happens with the couchette and sleeper trains. But really any train could charge a supplement for something.
Of course the Italian rail passes are a good value with TrenItalia so a good idea is to buy the TrenItalia passes and use them while in Italy to get around instead of the Eurail Flexipass if that is what you are traveling to the remainder of Europe on. This is because it would be better to save the higher-priced Eurail Flexipass days and use them somewhere else only due the bargain you get on Italy rail passes.
The TrenItalia pass is the rail pass for the Italian network of rails. You can purchase between 4 and 10 days of rail travel throughout all Italian cities serviced by the rail system. The passes are good for a two-month period. They must be validated for first use within six months if bought outside of Europe and within two months if purchased inside of Europe.
Make sure that you validate your ticket or pass before you board the train. There are yellow boxes at the station where you insert your ticket or pass and it will stamp the time and date of the first use. Be careful to do this because there are heavy fines if you do not.
Have fun and see all of Italy.