Airline Transports
Domestic Air Services

Travelling by plane is expensive within Italy and it makes much better sense to use the efficient and considerably cheaper train and bus services. The domestic lines are Alitalia and Meridiana.The main airports are in Roma, Pisa, Milano, Napoli, Catania and Cagliari, but there are other, smaller airports throughout Italy. Domestic fiights can be booked through agencies such as Sestante CII, CTS and normal travel agencies.
Alitalia offers a range of discounts for young people, families, the elderly and weekend travellers, as well as occasional special promotional fares. It should be noted that airline fares fluctuate and that special deals sometimes only apply when tickets are bought in Italy, or for return fares only. The Airfares Chart will give you an idea of return fares at the time of writing. Barring special deals, a one-way fare is generally half the cost of the return fare.

Travelling by train in Italy is simple, cheap and generally efficient. The Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) is the partially privatised state train system and there are several private train services throughout the country. There are several types of trains. Some stop at all stations, such as a regionale or inter­regionale; other, faster trains, such as the lntercity (IC), or EuroCity (EC), stop only at major cities and you must pay a supplement of the normal fare. Then there’s the very fast train, the ETR45O, known as the Pendolino, a new  express service between Napoli, Ioma, Firenze, Bologna and Milano. Travellers should note that a new ticket validation system has been introduced by the PS whereby tickets must be punched by machines installed at the entrance to all train platforms. The machines are yellow and easy find. The rule does not apply to tickets purchased outside Italy.
There are also several private train lines in Italy, which are noted throughout this book. There are left language facilities at all train stations. They are often open 24 hours a day but, if not, they usually dose only for a couple of hours after midnight. They open seven days a week and charge from L1500 for each piece of luggage.
Classes - There are 1st and 2nd classes on all Italian trains, with a 1 st class ticket costing a bit less than double the price of 2nd class. On the Pendolino, 2nd class is much like 1st class on other trains.
Reservations - It is recommended that you book train tickets for long trips, particularly if you’re travelling on weekends or during holiday periods, oth­erwise you could find yourself standing in the corridor for the entire journey. Reserva­tions are obligatory for the Pendolino. You can get timetable information and make train bookings at most travel agents, including CTS and Sestante CIT, or you can simply buy your ticket on arrival at the station. There are special booking offices for the Pendolino at the relevant train stations. If you are doing a reasonable amount of trav­elling, it is worth buying a train timetable. There are several available, including the official! FS timetables, which are available at newspaper stands in or near train stations for around L5000.

Italy's Principal FS Network

The italian state rail network operates variuos different types of service. Check what is on offere before buying your ticket


Ferrovie dello Stato
The italian train agency: timetables, station schedules, useful numbers...

Orari dei treni delle principali città italiane
main trains timetable

Stazione Termini di Roma
official site of Rome main station

Sea Transportation

Large ferrjes (navi) service the islands of Sicilia and Sardegna, and smaller ferries (traghetti) and hydrofoils (aliscafi) service areas such as the Isole Eolie, Elba, the Tremiti lslands, Capri and Ischia.
The main embarcation points for Sardegna are  Genova, Livorno, Civitavecchia and Napoli; for Sicilia the main points are Napoli and Villa San Giovanni in Calabria. The main points of arrival in Sicilia are Palermo and Messina; in Sardegna they are Cagliari, Arbatax, Olbia and Porto Torres.
Tirrenia Navigazione is the major company servicing the Mediterranean and it has offices throughout Italy. The FS  also operates ferries to Sicilia and Sardegna. Travellers can choose between cabin accomodation (men and women are usually segregated in 2nd class, although families will be kept together) or a poltrona, an airline-type armchair. Deck class is available only in summer and only on some ferries, so ask when making your booking.
 Many services are overnight and all ferries carry vehicles (generally it is possible to take a bicycle free of charge). Restaurant, bar and recreation facilities, including cinemas, are available on the larger, long-haul ferries.

One of the Moby Lines car ferries that sail the Mediterranean

Tirrenia - official site, ferries for the islands
Toremar - online reservations to Isola D' Elba
Traghetti per l'Isola D' Elba - general informations to Isola D'Elba
Traghetti per la Sardegna - informations and timetables to Sardinia
Grimaldi Cruises - cruises to Sardinia and Sicily