More and more people are becoming aware of an exciting new promotional discount fare now available on all Trenitalia domestic trains (excluding local trains and most international trains). The discount also applies to sleeping accommodations on night trains (excluding the luxurious "Excelsior class" sleepers).

It's called the "Amica" fare, and results in a 20% discount over the "standard" fare, but requires an ADVANCE PURCHASE no later than midnight of the day before date of travel (and no sooner than 60 days beforehand).

Apart from the advance purchase requirement, the fare is available ANY DAY OF THE WEEK, but is CAPACITY CONTROLLED, so tickets at the discounted fare may not be available at the time requested. The MODIFICATION RESTRICTIONS of the "Amica" fare are stricter than for the "standard" fare, but nevertheless workable for many prospective travellers (except perhaps those connecting from incoming flights who might experience unanticipated delays)

The full terms and conditions of this handy promotional fare are found on the Trenitalia website, but I have complied the following summary for the benefit of Slow Travellers. Here it is:

TRENITALIA'S NEW "AMICA" FARE

APPLICABLE TRAIN CATEGORIES: AV, ES, EScity, ICplus, IC, ICN, EXP

NOTE: Promotional fare NOT available on local trains (D, IR, R, where seat reservations are not allowed), nor on some Eurocity (EC) or Euronight (EN) trains, even within Italy proper.

SAVINGS: 20% less than "standard" fare

MINIMUM FARE: 10 Euros

NOTE: Seats at the promotional fare are CAPACITY CONTROLLED

NOTE: SEATS ARE ALL RESERVED

ADVANCE PURCHASE: No later than MIDNIGHT of the day PRIOR to day of departure

RESERVATION CHANGES: ONE reservation change allowed free of charge to a LATER departing train within 2 months of original issue date. If Amica fare is not available for the newly selected train, the DIFFERENCE IN PRICE must be paid. NO CHANGES ALLOWED AFTER DEPARTURE OF ORIGINALLY RESERVED TRAIN (but see "hop on" rules below). NOTE: If reservation change is made at a travel agency, a change fee may be collected.

TICKET EXCHANGES (e.g. to different category of train): ONE allowed PRIOR to departure of originally scheduled train, with payment of DIFFERENCE IN PRICE and a change fee of 3 Euros. NO on-line ticket exchanges (must have a paper ticket). Fare for newly selected train must be equal to or higher than fare for originally reserved train.

HOP-ON TO DIFFERENT TRAIN (WITHOUT RESERVATION CHANGE): Allowed up to THREE HOURS AFTER departure of originally reserved train ("Grace Period"), with payment of an 8 Euro fine AND DIFFERENCE IN FARE (if applicable). Passenger must "validate" (time and date stamp the paper ticket in the little yellow machine by the train track) the ticket PRIOR to "hopping on" a later departing train. Although the rules don't explicitly so state, you CANNOT "hop on" to a different train to a different destination (e.g. you change your mind and want to travel to a different destination with the ticket for the train you've just missed) If you want to change your destination, you must do a ticket EXCHANGE as described above.

WARNING: after expiration of the Grace Period, the passenger is considered having no ticket, and is subjected to a 25 Euro fine, plus the full cost of a replacement ticket.

EXAMPLE: You have a paper ticket with the "Amica" fare for the 9:45 a.m. ES train from Rome to Florence. You miss that train. It's too late to change the reservation, but you can "hop on" any later departing train to Florence (within the three hour "Grace Period"), as long as you "validate" the paper ticket before boarding. You will be asked to pay a FINE of 8 Euros, PLUS THE DIFFERENCE between the "standard" fare (33 Euros in second class) and the "Amica" fare (26.40 Euros in second class). If the train you "hop on" is not an ES train (for example, an IC, ICP or a local train), the difference in fare is actually LESS than what you paid, but you will forfeit that difference, and still pay the 8 Euro fine (although the fine might be waived if the difference in fare forfeited is more than 8 Euros and the train you've "hopped on" is a local train).

REFUNDS: Only PRIOR to departure of originally scheduled train, with withholding of a 20% cancellation fee. There is no refund whatsoever if the refund amount (net of withholding) is 8 Euros or less.

ANALYSIS: As you can see, purchasing a ticket at the advance purchase "Amica Fare" carries MORE restrictions compared to a "standard" ticket, but may be worthwhile if the 20% savings amounts to something. MOST SIGNIFICANTLY, passengers who MISS their reserved train, even if holding an "Amica" fare ticket, are allowed to HOP-ON a later departing train (within the three hour Grace Period), with only modest penalties. Of course, that passenger may end up STANDING for part of all of the trip!!!!!

BEWARE: With the "Amica" fare, you cannot change your reservation (or change your ticket) to a later departing train AFTER the departure of the originally scheduled train (you can only "hop-on"), so YOU WILL NOT HAVE A RESERVED SEAT on the later departing train. By contrast, with the "standard" fare, you can change your reservation within the three hour Grace Period (and thereby get a new reserved seat). With the "standard" fare, you can also change your reservation to an EARLIER departing train, something not permitted with the "Amica" fare.

EXAMPLES of cost savings ("Standard" vs. "Amica" fares; SECOND CLASS):

Naples/Milan AV train: 67 versus 53.60 Euros;
Rome/Florence ES train: 33 versus 26.40 Euros;
Florence/Venice ES train: 30 versus 24 Euros;
Naples/Venice ICplus train: 50 versus 40.40 Euros;
Milano/Reggio di Calabria back-to-back ES trains: 83 versus 66.40 Euros
Rome/Palermo ICplus train: 58 versus 46.80 Euros

REMEMBER: The "Amica" fare is NOT available on local trains (D-Diretto; IR-Interregionale; R-Regionale), nor on some Eurocity (EC) or Euronight (EN) trains.


www.trenitalia.it

Thanks for keeping us all up to date GAC

We've thought about having an overnight couchette compartment on the train from Naples to Milazzo. Have done this before and wound up with some interesting roomates. On this trip our group would be large enough to reserve our own compartments.

but last time there was a train strike and we were lucky to board a very late night train down to Milazzo and it had no couchettes (although we had reserved them). It actually was OK as the train was not crowded at all and we had plenty of space to stretch out and rest. It was March however.

I wonder if the night train is very crowded in June/July and how a second class seat would compare to a first class one for a long ride. Or a couchette for that matter.

Thoughts?

What I've been wondering (on behalf of others): If Amica fares are available, can they be bought at the self-service kiosks?

OOOPS, I meant to put a smiley icon on the first sentence,not this one

Oh rats! I I already bought our Florence to Venice tickets at standard fare.

I bought them so far in advance because I wanted to be 100% sure of getting 4 seats together - didn't want to chance my 11 yo having to sit alone

Do you need a Cartevaggio (sp?) to take advantage of the Amica fare? I'd noticed several discount fares when booking our tickets for July, but they only seemed to apply to cartevaggio holders.

Here are my answers to the questions posed above:

1. According to the Trenitalia website, the "Amica" fare should be available also through self-service kiosks at train stations. The discount fare is also available both as a paper ticket or electronically (ticketless).

2. The "Amica" fare should be available to anybody, not just to holders of the "Cartaviaggio".

3. For Anastasia, note that night trains from Naples to Milazzo currently do NOT offer first class seats, only second class seats, couchettes, and sleepers. The "Amica" fare applies to each of these categories (excepting the luxurious "Excelsior" class sleepers). Here is my standard advice (particularly for travel during the summer): if there are four in your travel party, book either a C4 Comfort couchette compartment, or TWO twin sleepers. If there are three in your party, book a "T3 Vettura letti classica". If there are two in your party, book a "doppio" in "Vettura letti classica" (BEWARE: the "T2 Doppio Turistico" compartment is considerably smaller than the "Doppio Classico" compartment, you'll see that there is a difference in price as well). If you're all alone, book either a Singolo (S), a Singolo Speciale (SP), or simply get a second class seat (but read my admonition below). If you end up in a second class seating compartment (which seats 6) and the two seats next to you are empty, you can raise the arm rests and use the flat area as a makeshift bunk (remember to remove your shoes or use newspaper under your shoes). The cheapest option will always be the second class seat, cheaper still with the "Amica" fare: Naples to Milazzo can be as low as ONLY 19.60 Euros!!! For obvious safety reasons (particularly for women travelling alone), I do NOT recommend booking a seat on a night train unless there are a least three adults in your travel party; better to lock yourself in a sleeper or couchette.

NOTE: Sleepers have stacked bunks and a washbasin with hot and cold non-drinkable water. The "Excelsior" class sleepers (available only on certain night trains) also have a private toilet and marine shower. The couchette compartments have only stacked bunks (four or six), no washbasin or private facilities (which are located at the ends of the railcar). All compartments are air conditioned, can be locked from within, and bunks have linens and a blanket. It is possible to request side-by-side sleeping compartments with an inner sliding door. There are 12 "Classico" sleeping compartments, or 17 "Turistico" compartments, per railcar. There are 9 "C4 couchette" compartments per railcar. You can also request "all male" or "all female" sleeping compartments, or "all female" C4 couchette compartments (that way, a solo female can share the compartment with three other women). Bunks measure 190 cms. in length and 70 cms. in width (approx. 75 X 27 inches).

We've decided to go for the overnight 2nd class compartment from Naples to Milazzo, if we can all be in the same one.

We figure we're not going to sleep much anyway,not wanting to miss the disassembly and reassembly of the train and ride on the ferry.

However, the Trenitalia website only allows making reservations for 5 passengers. It said that 6, "exeeded the limit"

what to do?

This is in regular seats? You can make one booking for five people, and then another booking for the sixth person filling in the "Seat Near To" section with one of your seat numbers. If the first group is assigned numbers ending from 1 to 5, maybe fill in the number ending in 5 in the hope that they'll get the 6 number. If you wind up in different compartments, you can ask the stranger in the sixth seat to trade.

thanks for your suggestion Andrew.

New problem. Trenitalia website is denying credit cards for payment of reservations. Have tried different ones, and contacted my credit card companies who say the problem is not on their end.

???Website problem?

I may be missing something here but when I used the link to go the Trenitalia site it was only in Italian and I couldn't see anywhere to go to English.

Is this correct?

I found English with trenitalia.com/en/index/html

Yes, problems with the Trenitalia site accepting credit cards have been reported extensively. The main suggestion I'd have is to disable any pop-up blockers and note that the site has Visa checked by default, so change it if you're using another card, but don't try too much and risk having your card blocked entirely. If you feel that you need to get this booked before you're in Italy, you can use www.italiarail.com ; I don't think they'll give you the Amica discount, but their fares are close to Standard fares plus $15 shipping. Not many people in Italy book seats much in advance, but what date this is could influence how much trouble you'll have getting a compartment to yourselves.

Thanks Andrew. we leave Tuesday and won't have time to have tickets shipped in advance. It's good to know where the problem is.

Another question regarding the overnight train from Naples to Milazzo. I'll have time to reserve these in advance from Italy, but is there a way to figure out which seat #'s go with which compartment?


I used your suggestion to break up the number in our party with 2 reservations (but had the payment problem). I got 6 consecutively numbered seats but don't know if they're in the same compartment. The Man in seat 61 has numbers for couchettes, but I didn't see any for 2nd class seats.

Hoping someday I'll get better at managing this. It really has taken quite a lot of time. I appreciate your replies.

Yes, if the train has six-seat compartments, they have numbers ending from 1 through 6. So the first compartment, I think, is 11-16, the next is 21-26, etc. How they're arranged within the compartment can vary between Intercity and Intercity Plus. Last summer, going from Bologna to Orvieto, I asked for a hall-side seat at the kiosk for an IC train. The car on this train, delayed because of problems putting it together, was an IC Plus car and I in fact got a middle seat.

If you're aiming for regular second class seats on the overnight EXP from Naples to Milazzo at the "standard" fare prior to the end of June, don't be worried about making advance reservations: you should have no problem getting seats at the last moment (possibly not all in the same compartment, but you can always ask to trade seats once on the train). When purchasing the tickets, specifically ask to be seated in the same compartment.

However, if you're aiming to get seats at the "Amica" fare, then you would need to book in advance, since these seats are capacity controlled and require an advance purchase.

Regular SEATS on these overnight trains are not very popular OUTSIDE of the peak summer travel season, and these trains often travel with near empty railcars, making advance reservations not particularly essential. Most travellers on these night trains are locals leaving from or returning to their home towns, and not tourists. Advance bookings for sleeping compartments, however, are a good idea, since there is a limited number of such accommodations.

If you're travelling to or from Sicily during the peak summer season (particularly from July 1 through early September), its' always a good idea to book second class seats two or more days in advance, just to be safe. Nevertheless, booking 24 hours beforehand may be soon enough much of the time.

Thanks for the tip, which I (luckily) read just before booking tickets from Rome to Venice. With the saving from the Amica discount, I treated us to 1st class!
Anne

Got the Amica discount from Venice to Ferrara and back, 1st class on the comfy, renovated Intercity (complete with power plugs for my computer) for 80 cents more than 2nd. The printable ticketless vouchers now include a scan pattern the conductor just swipes as she passes, and there you are.

Thanks TrenItalia, and GAC for keeping us all up to date.

My wife and I along with another couple are traveling to Rome during the first week of October, 2007. We are planning on spending two nights in Rome and then taking TRENITALIA to Venice where we will board a cruise ship.
I am looking for information and advice on the train trip. I have found the TRENITALIA English web site. I see that I can book the train no more than 60 days in advance. The AMICA fares seem quite good from Rome to Venice if they are available in October 2007.
Is it best to book directly with TRENITALIA?
What is the recommendation as to buying a first class or second class ticket. It seems the trip is about 4 ½ hours. Is first class worth the difference? What is the difference in quality of seats? The train is listed as an ES*. It seems we can purchase tickets on line and get an e-mail receipt to use in boarding the train.
We will be staying at a hotel in Rome and would like your input on getting through the train station with our baggage. I seem to have read there is no porter service. How much early should we arrive at the terminal to be safe?
As an aside I am looking at the Hotel Eurogarden. I am having a little trouble communicating as their e-mails are coming to me in Italian.
Any info or input would be greatly appreciated. I am sure I will be posting a lot of questions.
Thanks
Bill

Hotel Eurogarden is so far out. Is there any reason you want to be in that area? For translation, Babelfish.Altavista.com will give you the gist of whatever the hotel is trying to tell you.

Welcome to SlowTrav, wcw1. Book with Trenitalia if you can get their site to work. People have reported problems; you can try but not too many times. I have a page about booking here. If it doesn't work, there's a chance you can still find the Amica fare when you get to Italy; in any case, you won't have trouble getting seats when you get to Italy.

Most people, even if they want to go first class on other trains, are fine with second class on Eurostar. As for how early to get to the station, I say to find out the normal time it takes to get from your lodging to the station and add 30 minutes, so you can absorb a small delay in getting there.

Thanks for the information the train as this is new for me. We have never traveled to Europe before. I will attempt to book second class through Trenitalia when we get within 60 days before our trip. When booking on the Trenitalia’s internet site what do you get as a ticket, confirmation to board the train?
As to the hotel, I have been searching and find hotels to be very- very expensive in Rome and/or the reasonably priced ones get poor reviews. I don’t want to blow a bundle of money on a hotel where we will basically be sleeping for two nights. The Hotel Eurogarden although a little further out seems to get good reviews and is 85 Euros a night with free airport pickup and transfer from the hotel to the train station. We are planning on taking a tour or tours. I have been searching the hotel sites (What a Pain) and the prices they initially display are usually much higher when you get to the book now process. If anyone has a reasonably priced hotel recommendation it would be greatly appreciated.
Babelfish.Altavista.com at least makes the Italian understandable.
Thanks again for helping a Newbie.

If it's a reservable train without changes, you can select the Ticketless option, so the information is stored on the conductor's PDA. You can print out the confirmation, with a scannable code as Venexiananan reports, and also write the confirmation code and seat assignments somewhere else as a backup.

They also give a choice of getting your official receipt at the time of booking or on the train; it's something bureaucratic that I don't quite understand. I think GAC has said that you might as well get it at the time of booking; the alternative is to have the conductor print the official ticket from his device. Does the first option entitle you to the usual partial refund for delayed Eurostars, I wonder?

Answer for Andrew:

I could find no statement on the Trenitalia website to the effect that the 50% "bonus voucher" for Eurostar trains which arrive late by more than 25 minutes is not available for holders of the "Amica" promotional fare. This same voucher is also available when the air conditioning system on the ES train breaks down, and the passenger is NOT accommodated in a different railcar with air conditioning.

For those who might be interested, the rules to qualify for this "bonus voucher" (which can be used for future travel on Trenitalia up to 6 months after issuance of the voucher) are posted here:

http://www.trenitalia.com/en/treni_stazioni/eurostar/biglietto.html#BONUS

It must be noted that not everyone who has submitted a request for the "bonus voucher" has actually received one in the mail!!!!!! But it's usually worth trying (if you plan to travel on a Trenitalia train within six months), since there is nothing to lose.

I tried to register on Trenitalia site to purchase tickets. I received an email with temporarily password. However I am unable to use the password -- the site keeps telling me that my UserId and/or password is incorrect. I tried to register again -- my userId/email address are already in use of course. Is this a known issue? Do they have some kind of replication delay?