I've read quite a lot about the fact that Trenitalia-trains are usually late and often also for hours, so that connection trains cannot be reached.

Trenitalia's punctuality varies significantly by the type of service. Their high-speed Frecciarossa and Frecciargento trains are generally more reliable but still face systemic challenges; reports from 2025 indicated that nearly 70% of high-speed trains experienced some level of delay. Certain long-distance routes, like Lecce-Milan or services from Calabria to Turin, have been particularly problematic, with punctuality rates occasionally dipping below 50% due to infrastructure maintenance and technical failures on the line. In contrast, regional trains (Regionale) can be hit-or-miss depending on the specific province and time of day. Italy's rail system ranks below the high-precision standards of Switzerland or the Netherlands but often performs better than Germany's Deutsche Bahn, which faced record delays in 2025. For travelers, Trenitalia offers a refund policy (Indennità di ritardo) for delays over 30 or 60 minutes on high-speed lines, reflecting their commitment to accountability despite ongoing infrastructural growing pains.