The Newest Way to Travel in Italy

Last April, a new high speed rail service called Italo started operating in Italy, run by Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (NTV). The Ferrari-red trains offers service from Venice to Rome (stops in Padua, Bologna & Florence) and from Milan to Salerno (stops in Bologna, Florence, Rome & Naples). 

 

At at a recent presentation by Rail Europe, here's what I learned about Italo:

- All employees speak English.

- It's completely ticketless. 

- They have 3 classes of service (they call it "ambience"): Smart (2nd), Prima (1st) , and Club (Premium 1st)


Club ambiance

Prima service

- Free WiFi is available in all cars.

- It stops at different stations than Trenitalia trains.  In Rome, the station is further from the city center, but it connects to the airport and the Spanish Steps by subway. 

- The power units are distributed under the cars, not located on the end cars like - traditional high speed trains.  This gives a smoother and faster ride.  For example, Italo takes 2 hrs to get to Milan from Rome, where Eurostar takes 3 hr.

- All stations have 'Casa Italo', a comfortable lounge with easy to use self-service ticket machines, a welcome desk, and free WiFi.



Casa Italo

- They have vending machines on all trains.

- Baggage lockers are available where you pay 1 EU to secure a cable around your luggage (and it's returned after you retrieve your bags).  The luggage storage area is also monitored by security cameras.

It's fun and easy to travel by train in Europe, but it can be a little confusing.

For help planning a great vacation to Europe, by train, plane, or cruise ship, contact me at suzette@family-treks.com
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