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Is Trenitalia and Italo the same?

Italo, or Italotreno, is the first private passenger train service in Europe, and is owned by an American conglomerate. (So… not exactly a local business.) Italo trains are very comparably to TrenItalia's FrecciaRossa trains. That's because, unlike TrenItalia, Italo only runs fast trains.



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High-speed trains always require reservations. Trenitalia, Italy's state-run rail network, operates most of the high-speed trains. Others are run by a private company, Italo. The two options are competitively priced and reasonably similar, though they sometimes serve different train stations.

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Trenitalia had already sparked controversy with a proposal that passengers in the cheapest class will not be allowed to use restaurant carriages or even venture into the more expensive carriages, prompting charges in the blogosphere and Italian media of promoting an economic apartheid.

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Italiarail shows a whole day's trains in the search results and can book up to 20 people at a time. Trenitalia's own website only shows a couple of hours-worth of trains at a time and can only book up to 5 people at a time.

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Like I mentioned above, Italo is usually cheaper than Trenitalia but because the cabins on lower-class tickets aren't the most comfortable, I'll usually consider Italo only for trains that are less than 2 or 3 hours long unless the Comfort ticket class is cheaper than Trenitalia.

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There isn't a huge difference in the overall travel experience between Italo and TrenItalia. They travel on the same tracks, and the speed is the same. (Both Italo and FrecciaRossa trains have a max speed of 300 km/hour, or 186 mph.) And the likelihood of delay is about the same.

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ItaliaRail.com is the easiest and best site for booking Italy train tickets. It's cheaper then Trenitalia.com if there are 2 or more passengers. It's an online website that sells Trenitalia tickets in Euros, Pounds, and Dollars.

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Some trains require seat reservations, and on other trains it's optional. If you're riding a train on which reservations are only recommended or completely optional and you don't have a reservation, you can sit in any available seat in the appropriate class you have booked.

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Maximum luggage weight: 25 kg. For items of luggage weighing over 25 kg, you can select “Easy Luggage XL” when booking. Maximum luggage dimensions: The sum of the three sides (width + depth + height) must not exceed 210 cm. Items of luggage with a side measurement of more than 120 cm in length are not permitted.

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Trenitalia, Italy's state-run rail network, operates most of the high-speed trains. Others are run by a private company, Italo. The two options are competitively priced and reasonably similar, though they sometimes serve different train stations.

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Frecciarossa trains are the fastest of these, reaching speeds of up to 190 MPH (300 km/h). Italo's high-speed trains are even faster, operating at speeds up to 220 MPH (360 km/h). The AV train network connects Turin, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Naples, and Salerno.

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For the cheapest high-speed tickets in Italy, go for Italo, and buy your tickets in advance. If you're on a super budget, go with the regional trains on Trenitalia. If you've never been to Italy and aren't super great at navigating confusing websites with translations that might be off, book with ItaliaRail.

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There is rarely any discount for buying a regional train ticket in advance, but these are also the least expensive tickets within the Trenitalia system. If you buy your Regionale tickets online, they do not need to be validated before boarding.

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Often there is little difference in the ticket prices between the two. But even more often, TheTrainline offers discounted train tickets months in advance before the national train company itself ( Trenitalia, for example) has them up for sale on its own website.

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Traveling by train in Italy means always traveling with carry-on luggage. You'll carry on board everything you have with you. It's your responsibility to bring your bags on board and stow them properly, which is a great incentive to packing light. There's no fee to bring luggage on the train.

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Luggage is included in the ticket price. There is no limit on the number and size of the items of luggage you take on board, but Italo asks you to keep in mind the limited space available on a train. The luggage areas in the vestibule of each coach are under video surveillance.

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There is typically one bathroom per train car on Italian trains. On newer trains, and especially high-speed trains, they are more spacious than what you might find on an airplane and offer the same basic features as those of a plane lavatory - a flushable toilet, sink with running water, soap, and paper towels.

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