Trains in Italy

Answer:

• Turin to Grenoble through the Val di Susa. There are plans for a high-speed train connection, known as the TAV, linking Turin with Paris, but it's facing a lot of protests, and the slow train that exists at present is perfect for enjoying the view.
• Turin to Nice through the mountains and the French and Piedmont countryside. The scenery and little villages en route are lovely. You normally have to change trains in Ventimiglia and sometimes Cuneo.
• Tropea to Pizzo offers an unparalleled view of one of Italy's most beautiful coastlines: coves, beaches, and glimpses of Italian Mediterranean blue, which is a blue like no other.
• The Frecciarossa fast train from Milan to Rome or vice versa is amazing. It covers the 350 miles/560 kms in two hours and forty-five minutes and races through some beautiful scenery in Tuscany and Lazio. 
• Traveling aboard the Autumn Foliage Train between Domodossola and Locarno is one of the most beautiful journeys in Italy. The journey is around 50 kilometers and takes two hours. Spectacular doesn't come close to describing the magnificent scenery.
• Trenino Verde: A slow meander through the wide-open spaces, ancient villages and wild scenery of Sardinia
• Treno dei Sapori: Gourmet meals and local wines are served on a vintage train as you slowly meander through the gorgeous countryside on the shores of Lake Iseo. Stunning views, exceptional food, and the wines are out of this world.
• The Cinque Terre Train is a must - we wrote about the train and the Cinque Terre here.
• Journey from Bari to Matera. The train journey is incredible, and Bari and Matera are two of the most fascinating towns in Italy. Both should be on your list of must-visit destinations.
• Trans-Siberian between Sulmona and Isernia. The name "Trans-Siberian" came about because of the winter scenery, which recalls Siberia. Summer or winter, this high-altitude journey through the mountains of Abruzzo is spectacular.
• The Circumetnea Volcano Train of Sicily offers a three-hour journey (110 km) through villages, vineyards, and pistachio groves while Etna glowers down upon it all.
• Intercity Night Sleeper Train from Milan/Rome to Catania/Palermo. Not the fastest but a chance to experience a bygone age and sleep on a comfortable bed as the entire Italian boot passes outside your window. There are not many night sleeper trains left in Europe now, and the experience is one you really must enjoy while you still can.
• Asciano-Monte Antico line: a steam train journey through some of the most beautiful Tuscan scenery. The line was closed in 1994 but was reopened by a group of dedicated volunteers. The video below has more on the route - although in Italian, the beauty of the area is clearly shown.
• Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: This iconic train journey starts in Venice and takes you through the stunning Italian countryside to Paris. The journey takes about 17 hours and offers luxurious accommodations, gourmet dining, and breathtaking views of the Alps and French countryside. This train journey is truly an unforgettable experience.
• Bernina Express: This train journey takes you through the stunning Swiss Alps but starts and ends in Italy. The train departs from Tirano and travels through 55 tunnels and 196 bridges, including the iconic Landwasser Viaduct. The journey takes about 2.5 hours and takes you to the Swiss town of St. Moritz.

Steam Train Journeys

There are some amazing steam trains still operating in Italy. Click here for a list of all Italian steam train routes and booking info.

Answer: The maximum recorded speed in testing is 393.8 km/h (244.7 mph), although operating speeds are limited to 300 km/h (186 mph). The fastest trains are the Frecciarossa 1000  trains, followed by the Italo trains that can reach a maximum speed of 360 km/h (160mph).

Answer: I find that booking for the fast trains between one and three months before traveling generally works out the cheapest. If you are booking a regional train, the prices are generally the same regardless of when you book. A good idea is to download the Trenitalia app so that you can buy tickets online, and then the ticket inspector simply scans the QR code on your phone.

Answer: If you don't buy tickets online, you will need to physically validate your train ticket using the little machines on the platform before boarding. If it is a multi-day ticket, you must fill in the date and sign it. If you have bought your tickets online, you'll still need to validate it on the website on the day of travel.

Not validating your train ticket, together with the fines from getting caught in ZTL zones, is the most common way tourists get fined in Italy. You can find out about ZTL zones and other mistakes tourists to Italy MUST NOT make here.

Answer: No, the tickets are very affordable and, considering the quality of Italian trains, are often a real bargain.

Graffiti on trains used to be a huge issue. That is no longer as much of an issue as the Frecciarossa trains boast advanced anti-graffiti paints, engineered to safeguard their pristine surfaces from defacement and vandalism. These specialized coatings create a formidable barrier, repelling paint and other forms of graffiti with remarkable efficiency.

Some freight trains and older regional trains do still suffer from the graffiti vandals.

Italians do love going on strike. Sometimes, it seems like they are more often on strike than working, and they never seem to resolve their issues. They have been on strike, on and off, for as long as I can remember traveling by public transport in Italy, and that is many, far too many, decades. If your chosen day of travel is on a strike day, then you are in for a nightmare. So, how do you avoid getting nailed by strikes? Check out https://scioperi.mit.gov.it/mit2/public/scioperi. It is the official site that lists all planned strikes for months ahead.