Letting the TRAIN take the strain in ITALY

As airlines grapple with high oil prices, horrendous baggage fees and new government taxes, sending air fares rocketing, it seems that the leisurely, gentle train journey looks set to reap the rewards.

According to industry sources, train travel in and around Europe is on the increase once again, the number of rail passes sold to visitors to Europe jumped by 11.9 percent last year, to 427,000.

It seems that more people than ever are looking to take the train - even Europeans, often unreservedly critical about their own rail systems, bought 6.2 percent more passes to explore their continent by rail last year.

And by far the most popular one-country pass was sold for travel to Italy last year, followed at a distance by Spain and in third place, Austria - France and Germany, with their modern, high-speed rail systems, apparently didn't even get a look in the top three.

This week sees the release of the latest edition of Europe by Rail, a 704-page bible on how best to explore Europe using 50 of the region's best routes published by Thomas Cook http://www.europebyrail.eu/

For more details on Italian Railways (TrenItalia), reservations, interrail, railpasses and more contact :www.internationalrail.com

TAKING THE TRAIN IN ITALY

One of the most frequent questions asked when planning to travel around Italy by train is whether one should buy an Italy rail pass.

Italian trains are still relatively inexpensive so while having an Italy rail pass may be convenient it doesn't usually save you money unless you are taking several long distance train trips (from northern Italy to southern Italy and back for example) or traveling to Italy from another country. If you buy an Italian train pass you will still have to make (and pay for) seat reservations on high-speed trains.

Regional trains in Italy are inexpensive so using a train pass for regional trains and even most Intercity trains is not saving any money.

There are many types of European rail passes available including passes good for train travel in a single country or for multiple countries. Train tickets in most other European countries are generally more costly than those in Italy so if you're traveling by train in another country in addition to Italy you may want to consider a two-country pass

Eurostar (ES or Treni Eurostar Italia)
Italy's premier train, not to be confused with the Eurostar. Seat reservations on Eurostar Italia are manditory. Eurostar travels swiftly between major Italian cities.

Intercity and the newer Intercity Plus trains
Relatively fast trains that run the length of Italy, stopping at the large cities. First and second class service is available. First class coaches offer slightly better seats and are generally less populated. Seat reservations are compulsary on the Intercity Plus trains, and the fee is included in the ticket price.

Regionale (Regional Trains)
These are the local trains, often running around work and school schedules. They are cheap and usually reliable--but seats can be hard to find on major routes. Many regional trains have only second class seats, but if available, consider first class, asking for Prima Classe, per favore, it's less likely to be full.

Helpful Tip:                                                                                                    

Before board your train--validate your ticket! Find the yellow box and insert the end of your ticket. This prints the time and date of the first use of your ticket, and makes it valid for the journey. When the guard comes round to inspect your ticket, if it’s not validated, the fines are stiff! (around Euro 50)

For more detailed information on Italy's rail system, check with ABTOI member International Rail, the specialist Italian Rail travel provider who can help you with all your concerns:   http://www.loveitaly.co.uk/company-details.asp?Company=33