A Frecciarossa train to Florence & Milan at Rome Stazione Termini

A Frecciarossa 1000 at Milan Centrale

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Trenitalia or Italo, which to choose?

Italy's premier 300 km/h trains

Trenitalia is Italy's national train operator and their premier train category is Frecciarossa or red arrow.  Some of these can reach 300 km/h (186 mph) on Italy's high-speed lines.  Nobody flies between Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome or Naples any more:  Milan to Rome takes as little as 2h55, Rome to Florence 1h23, Rome to Venice 3h45, with a cafe- bar & free WiFi.

small bullet point  Frecciarossa's 4 classes explained

small bullet point  Frecciarossa's 4 types of train

small bullet point  Frecciarossa 1000

small bullet point  Frecciarossa 500

small bullet point  Frecciarossa 600

small bullet point  Frecciarossa 700

small bullet point  Travel tips

small bullet point  Should you choose Frecciarossa or Italo?

Where do Frecciarossas run?

small bullet point  Turin - Milan - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Naples - Salerno (Frecciarossa 500 & 1000)

small bullet point  Turin - Milan - Verona - Venice (Frecciarossa 500 & 700)

small bullet point  Venice - Bologna - Florence - Rome (Frecciarossa 500 & 1000, plus a few 600)

small bullet point  Milan - Rimini - Ancona - Bari - Brindisi - Lecce.

small bullet point  Paris - Turin - Milan, see the Paris-Milan page.

Frecciarossa's 4 classes explained

The first Frecciarossas had only two classes, 1st & 2nd, but when NTV's competing 3-class Italo trains arrived on the scene in 2012, Trenitalia responded by revamping its Frecciarossa 500s with 4 classes.  The Frecciarossa 1000s also have 4 classes, although the 600 & 700 have only 3.  Which should you choose?

Standard (2nd class)

Seats are arranged 2+2 across the car width, grouped in bays of 4 around a table either side of the aisle.  Free WiFi & power sockets at all seats.  There's plenty of luggage space on overhead racks which take anything up to backpack-size, space between the seat backs, and racks for larger items at the end of each car.  Standard class seats are cloth fabric on Frecciarossa 500, but on Frecciarossa 1000, 700 & 600 they are leather.

Premium (premium 2nd class)

Identical seat layout to standard class, with identical leg & elbow room.  Seats are arranged 2+2 across the car width in bays of 4 around a table on either side of the aisle.  Premium class seats are leather on all types of Frecciarossa.  The fare includes a complimentary welcome drink of coffee or soft drink, and there's free WiFi and power sockets at all seats.  There's plenty of luggage space on the overhead racks which will take anything up to backpack-size, there's space for bags between the seat backs and luggage racks for larger items at the end of each car.  On the Paris-Milan route premium class seats are sold as standard class, without any free coffee or soft drinks.

The Man in Seat 61 says:  "It depends on the prices you're offered, but the leather seats and 'welcome' drink make premium a nice upgrade from Standard."

Business (1st class)

Seats are arranged 2+1 across the car width, with significantly more elbow room than standard or premium, and the leather seats are roomier too.  There are tables for 4 on one side of the aisle and tables for 2 on the other, the latter ideal for couples.  The fare includes a complimentary welcome drink (coffee, soft drink or prosecco) and a small snack box, there are power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  There's plenty of luggage space on overhead racks which will take anything up to backpack-size, there's space for bags between the seat backs and there are luggage racks for large suitcases at the end of each car.

The Man in Seat 61 says:  "There's no need to travel Business class if you're on a budget, standard & premium classes are absolutely fine.  But the wider seats, extra elbow room and the ability for couples to choose a table for two and solo travellers to choose a solo seat, make business class a worthwhile upgrade."

Business Silenzio:  One business class car is designated as a 'quiet' car.

Business class Salottinos:  A Frecciarossa 500 has two fully-enclosed 4-seat Salottinos, Italian for little rooms.  Seats can be booked in these if you are a small group travelling together, ideal for private meetings on the move.  Frecciarossa 1000, 700 & 600 don't have salottinos.

Executive (premium 1st class)

Executive class consists of just 8 (Frecciarossa 500) or 10 (Frecciarossa 1000) luxurious leather reclining seats at one end of the train with their own dedicated steward.  There's no Executive class on Frecciarossa 600 or Frecciarossa 700.  There are power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  The fare includes a complimentary cold tray meal (or snack, on shorter runs) and alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks.  The seats rotate, so can be set to face either direction.  Executive class also features a 6-seat meeting room.  Executive class passengers can use the Frecciaclub first class lounges at all major Italian stations, with free WiFi and complimentary snacks & drinks. 

The Man in Seat 61 says:  "Executive class is priced for executives.  But if you feel like a treat (or your company is paying!), executive class is highly recommended, you won't want to get off.  In Business class you sample their prosecco, in Executive they leave you the bottle.."

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The 4 types of Frecciarossa

Frecciarossa services are operated by 4 different types of train, Frecciarossa 1000, Frecciarossa 500, Frecciarossa 600 & Frecciarossa 700.

Which type will your train be?

Run an enquiry at www.trenitalia.com and find your train in the search results.

If it says Frecciarossa 1000 against your train, it's a Frecciarossa 1000.

If your train is plain Frecciarossa, click to see prices.  If executive class is listed, it's a Frecciarossa 500.

If there's no executive class, just standard, premium & business, it's either a Frecciarossa 600 or Frecciarossa 700.

Make a dummy standard class booking and ask to select seats.  If 8 cars are shown, it's Frecciarossa 700.  If only 7 cars, it's a Frecciarossa 600.

Frecciarossa 1000

This is Trenitalia's flagship train, introduced in 2015 and operating at up to 300 km/h (186 mph) with all 4 classes.  They operate the most important services on the Turin - Milan - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Naples and Venice - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Naples routes, they also operate between Paris, Lyon, Turin & Milan.  They have a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  With an interior styled by Pininfarina, they have faster acceleration than the Frecciarossa 500 and a higher top speed at 360 km/h (223 mph) although they're limited to 300 km/h (186 mph) in service.  Officially classified ETR400, even though newer than the ETR500.  See Frecciarossa 1000 seat map.  Watch the Frecciarossa 1000 video.  Virtual tour.

Tip:  You can select your seat from a seat map when booking at www.italiarail.com, www.trenitalia.com or www.thetrainline.com.

Frecciarossa 1000 at Roma Termini

Frecciarossa 1000 at Rome Termini.

Frecciarossa 1000 standard class   Frecciarossa 1000 premium class

Standard class, cars 5-8.

 

Premium class, car 4.

Frecciarossa 1000 Business class   Luggage rack on Frecciarossa 1000

Business class, cars 2 & 3.

 

There are luggage racks in all classes.

Frecciarossa 1000 cafe-bar   Room for bags between seat backs

Cafe-bar in car 3:  Wine, beer, tea, coffee & snacks.

 

Space for bags between the seats.

Frecciarossa 1000 executive class   Frecciarossa 1000 executive class meeting room

Executive class, 10 luxurious rotatable seats in Car 1.

 

Executive class meeting room, car 1.

Frecciarossa 1000   Frecciarossa 1000 executive class

Frecciarossa 1000

 

Executive class, that's my seat with the prosecco...

Frecciarossa 500

Trenitalia's original high-speed train and still the workhorse of the fleet, now nudged to second rank by the Frecciarossa 1000.  It runs at up to 300 km/h (186 mph) and also has 4 classes.  It operates the majority of services on the main Turin-Milan-Bologna-Florence-Rome-Naples route, also Venice-Bologna-Florence-Rome-Naples and Milan-Ancona-Bari-Brindisi.  See Frecciarossa 500 seat map.

Frecciarossa 500 at Milan Centrale

Frecciarossa 500 at Milan Centrale.

Standard class seats on a Frecciarossa 500   Premium class seats on a Frecciarossa 500

Standard class with cloth seats, cars 8-11.

 

Premium class with leather seats, cars 6 & 7.

Business class seats on a Frecciarossa 500   Luggage space between seats

Business class, cars 1-4.

 

Luggage space between seats.

4-seat Business class salottino on a Frecciarossa 500   4-seat Business class salottino on a Frecciarossa 500

One of two business class salottinos in car 3.

 

Salottino 4-seat compartment, door open.

Executive class on a Frecciarossa 500   Executive class meeting room on a Frecciarossa 500

Executive class, 10 luxurious seats in car 1.

 

Executive class meeting room, car 1.

Executive class complimentary meal on Frecciarossa   Frecciarossa 500 cafe-bar

Executive class includes a complimentary cold tray meal with wine and prosecco.

 

Cafe-bar in car 5, available to all passengers for coffee, beer, wine, snacks.

Frecciarossa 600

Formerly branded Frecciargento, some of these trains have been refurbished with 3 classes and rebranded Frecciarossa.  They run at up to 250 km/h (155 mph).  There's no Executive class on these trains.  There's a cafe-bar in car 3, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  See Frecciarossa 600 seat map.

Frecciarossa 600 train

A Frecciarossa 600 at Milan Centrale.

Frecciarossa 600 standard class   Frecciarossa 600 premium class

Standard class, cars 5-7.

 

Premium class, cars 3 & 4.

Frecciarossa 600 business class   Frecciarossa 600 luggage rack

Business class, cars 1 & 2.

 

Luggage rack.

Frecciarossa 700

Look at that cute puppy-dog nose!  These ETR700 trains were built in Italy for the ill-fated Fyra services between Amsterdam & Brussels.  Returned to Italy in disgrace, they've been repurposed for Frecciarossa services and are mainly used on the Turin - Milan - Verona - Venice route.  The direct Rome-Trieste Frecciarossa is also a Frecciarossa 700.  They seem much happier in their home country, even running at up to 250 km/h (155 mph).  They have 3 classes (no Executive class), a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Frecciarossa 700

A Frecciarossa 700.

Frecciarossa 700 standard class   Frecciarossa 700 premium class

Standard class.

 

Premium class.

Frecciarossa 700 business class   Frecciarossa 700 cafe-bar

Business class.

 

Cafe-bar.

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Travel tips

Business class breakfast box   2-pin 230v power outlet on a Trenitalia Frecciarossa 500

Complimentary snack box in business class, in this case with small filled roll & orange juice.

 

2/3-pin power socket.  That's the adapter you need, European round 2-pin plugs don't fit.

Frecciarossa luggage racks   Frecciarossa infomation screen

You take your bags with you onto the train.  All classes and all train types have luggage racks.

 

Information screen showing calling points, timetable, current location & speed.

Departures board   Frecciarossa platform car position indicator

EXECUTIVE E BUSINESS IN CODA means this Frecciarossa will depart with its Executive & business class cars at the rear (coda).  If they were in testa, they'd be at the front.

 

Indicator screen, this one shows that business class car 2 will stop at this point along the platform.

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Should you choose Frecciarossa or Italo?

On the Turin-Milan-Florence-Rome-Naples route, Venice-Florence-Rome-Naples route and Turin-Milan-Verona-Venice route you can choose between Trenitalia's Frecciarossas and NTV's competing Italo trains.  Both are excellent, you won't be disappointed whichever you choose.  But here's my personal take.

Frecciarossa 1000 video

A journey from Milan to Rome in Business Class (1st class) on the new Frecciarossa.  Also see the virtual tour.

 


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