Italo - CC Treno .Italo - NTV S.p.A.

From March 2012, the sleek-looking red ‘Italo’  high-speed trains will be criss-crossing the landscape of Italy and no doubt turning heads. The wow factor – they look like the rail equivalent of Ferrari cars, with speed to match.

Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (NTV), Europe’s first private operator of high-speed trains, is the owner of the new Italo high-speed train. That the Italo’s red livery, speed and sleek design may remind passengers of Ferrari cars is no accident. A founding shareholder in the NTV is Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the chairman of Ferrari and another collaborator is Diego Della Valle, the owner of TOD’S, the luxury goods brand.

High-Speed Train in Italy

High-speed rail services in Italy are currently provided by the state-owned Trenitalia. However, train travel in Italy does not enjoy the best of reputation and NTV obviously believes that they can give Trenitalia a run for their money by providing deluxe service on high-speed services.

And just in case you think that only Ferrari owners can afford to travel on this deluxe high-speed train, NTV assures that even crisis-hit Italians will be able to afford travel on the Italo.

NTV’s Italo will offer three different classes of travel (Club, Prima and Smart) to suit different budgets. And, like airline fares, customers will be able to benefit from the Smart pricing in cheaper off-peak travel and also by booking early to enjoy discounts on fares.

The Italo High-Speed Network

When NTV launches in March 2012, it will start with two main lines:

From Turin to Salerno:  Turin – Milan – Bologna – Florence – Rome – Naples – Salerno
From Venice to Rome :  Venice – Padova – Bologna – Florence – Rome

New Breed of High-Speed Trains

The new Italo trains are by the French company Alstrom Transport and this new AGV (Automotrice à Grande Vitesse) breed of trains is the next generation to the TGV trains.

Travelling on these “Ferrari trains” is certainly something to look forward to, so when NTV sorts out its distribution network, I’ll be looking for my discount fare!

Termini Station © Travel Signposts

To get to Rome Fiumicino Airport from the centre of Rome, travellers have a number of airport transfer options.

By Train

For many visitors staying in the historical centre of Rome, getting to Rome Fiumicino Airport is fastest by train.  Roma Termini, in Piazza dei Cinquecento, is the main Rome train station and there are two types of services:

The “Leonardo Express” is the fast train that runs between Rome Termini and Fiumicino Airport.  The journey takes about 31 minutes and the train does not stop at any other stations.

Trains leave from Platform 25 every half hour between 5:52 a.m. and 10:52 p.m.  Tickets can be purchased from Termini Station and it costs € 14 for a one-way fare.  There is usually a queue at the train ticket desk, but you can also purchase your tickets from one of the many self-serve vending machines.  Alternatively, the Trenitalia desks near Platform 25 also sells tickets, but the fare is €15 from here.
Note:  Remember to validate your ticket on the platform before boarding the train.

The “FR1″ (Ferrovie Regionali) is a metropolitan line that travels between Fara Sabina/Orte and Fiumicino.  From Tiburtina Station, north of Termini, trains bound for Fiumicino Airport leave every 15 minutes.  The train makes stops at Tuscolana, Ostiense, Trastevere, Villa Bonelli, Magliana, Muratella, Ponte Galeria, Fiera di Roma before arriving at Fiumicino.  If your hotel is near any of these stops, you can catch this service to Fiumicino.  The fare at € 5.50 is cheaper than the Leonardo Express, but this is a much slower train.

By Bus

There are airport shuttles to Fiumicino Airport from Termini Station.  The airport shuttles are operated by Cotral (www.cotralspa.it) and SIT (www.sitbusshuttle.it.).  The fares cost € 8 one-way or € 15 return.  Tickets can be bought from the ticket seller at the bus stop.  Depending on the time of day and traffic (which can be quite bad in Rome), the journey can take from 45 minutes up to over an hour.

Private Shuttle

If your flight departs between 9:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., a private shuttle can provide transfers directly from your central Rome hotel to Fiumicino Airport by an 8 seater minibus. The shuttle runs every 30 to 40 minutes from 6:30 a.m. For further information and to book your airport transfer, see HERE.

By Taxi

From the historic centre of Rome, the fixed taxi fare is € 40 (luggage included). Your hotel concierge can arrange this.

Which Terminal to Go to:

Domestic Flights – T1, T2 and T3
International Flights to Schengen countries – T1, T2 and T3
International Flights to non-Schengen countries – T2 and T3
Flights to U.S. and Israel operated by U.S. and Israeli carriers – T5

Address:
Rome Fiumicino Airport
Via dell’Aeroporto di Fiumicino 320
I-00050 Fiumicino Rome
Tel: +39 06 65951

Map of Fiumicino Airport:

Fiumicino Airport - Rome Airport Transfers

Leonardo Da Vinci International, more commonly known as Fiumicino Airport, is Rome’s main airport, the other being Ciampino Airport.  There are currently four terminals at Fiumicino Airport and since October 2009, these have been changed from an alphabetical to numeric labelling, to bring Rome airports into line with other international airports.  Most incoming flights will arrive at either Terminals 1 or 3.

• Terminal  1 (previously Terminal A) handles flights for Alitalia, Air France, KLM and a small handful of others.

• Terminal 3 (previously Terminals B and C) is the main terminal and handles all other carriers not covered by Terminal 1.

Getting to Rome City Centre

Fiumicino Airport is located about 26 km south-west from Rome city centre and arriving passengers have a choice of train, bus or taxis to get into the historical city centre or other parts of Rome.

By Train

The train is the fastest and most convenient transport option into the city.  When you’ve completed your Customs and Immigration formalities follow the signs to the train station/Fiumicino Aeroporto railway station.  The train station is connected to the airport terminal by an overhead bridge.  There is a lift (near the Meeting Point) that will take you up to the train station level.  Once you cross the bridge you’ll see the train ticket counter on the right and the train platform in front of you.

Note: Remember to validate your ticket at one of the many yellow boxes before boarding the train.

• The Leonardo Express to Rome Termini Station leaves every 30 minutes between 6.36 am and 11:36 pm.  As the name implies, this express train does not stop at stations along the route.  It takes 31 minutes to Termini Station where travellers can connect with Metro Lines A and B, bus services or taxis at Termini.  The one-way train fare is Euro 11.00.

• The FR1 (Ferrovie Regionali) metropolitan service connects Fiumicino Airport with Roma Trastevere, Roma Ostiense (Metro Line B) , Roma Tuscolana and Roma Tiburtina (Metro Line B).  Operating between 5:57 am and 11:27 p.m., this train leaves every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends and public holidays.  One-way fare is Euro 5.50.
  Traveller’s Tip: If  Rome is not your final destination, it may be better to use the FR1 to Roma Tiburtina and make your connecting journey from there.  Tiburtina is less crowded than Termini and most of the trains that leave Termini for a regional destination stops at Tiburtina.  This tip comes from Mark Putnam, a frequent traveller from Fiumicino Airport to Spoleto.  Mark says that there’s also a train “from Fiumicino Airport that rambles all the way to Orte”, another major hub from which he connects to Spoleto or the many other points up north.

By Bus

The following Cotral Bus services connect Fiumicino to  the various train stations.  See www.cotralspa.it for further information:

• From Fiumicino Airport (Terminal 3) – Termini Station (Metro A and B) – Tiburtina Station (Metro B)
• From Fiumicino Airport (Terminal 3) – Cornelia Station (Metro A)
• From Fiumicino Airport (Terminal 3) – Eur Magliana (Metro B)

The following SIT Bus service connect Fiumicino to Rome stations.  See www.sitbusshuttle.it for further information:

• From Fiumicino Airport (Terminal 3) – Piazzo Cavour (Metro A) – Rome Termini (Metro A and B)

Private Shuttle

Private shuttle buses can deliver you from Fiumicino (Leonardo Da Vinci) Airport to any hotel in central Rome, located within the railway ring.  If you have heavy cases or prefer not to navigate public transportation after a long flight, this is the way to go.  For further information and to book your airport transfer, see HERE.

By Taxis

Taxis are easily available at Fiumicino Airport.  The set fare for a taxi to Rome’s historical centre (including luggage) is Euro 40.00 per taxi, carrying up to a maximum of four passengers.  Taxis authorized by the Rome City Council are white in colour and bear the ‘TAXI’ sign on their roofs.  Beware of taxi touts who will attempt to take you to other vehicles which are not authorized and which may charge you higher fares.

Trenitalia Cinque Terre tickets

By Train:

The regional train that serves the five villages runs between La Spezia Centrale and Sestri Levanti or Genoa.  Fares are cheap at Euro 1.40 one-way, and the difference between a 5 km trip and a 10 km trip is only Euro 10 cents. The tickets are valid for 6 hours in each direction.  So if you’re at Riomagiorre and heading north, you can stop at all the other four villages within a 6-hour time-frame.  Your return trip requires a separate ticket.

When you purchase your ticket, make sure that you validate it at the yellow machine on the platform.  Train conductors do come around checking for tickets and if you’re caught without a validated ticket, the on-the-spot fine is Euro 25.  It’s hardly worth this risk given that the fares are only Euro 1.40.

If you’re staying for a few days and plan on doing some of the walks, you’ll probably be making a few trips back and forth between the five villages every day.  It may be worth buying the Cinque Terre Treno card which includes unlimited train travel for the duration of your card.  A 3-day Cinque Terre card costs Euro 10 and with unlimited train rides included, the cost is Euro 19.  This saves you the hassle of buying tickets for each time you wish to hop on the train or ensures that you already have a ticket if a train happens to be on the platform. It also gives you the freedom to go to different villages for dinner if choose to do so.

Handy Tips:

Train timetables are posted at the station but it’s useful having a copy with you at all times when you’re out and about during the day or night so that you’ll know when you need to head for the station.  The ticket office has wallet size photocopies of these.  Another good reason for having these with you is that trains are sometimes late.  Jumping on the incorrect train could land you in the wrong destination as we all found out one day.  A train arrived at the station and everyone piled on board only to find that it’s the  non-stop train to Monterosso.

Always listen to the train announcements which are given in Italian and English as well.  You’ll very quickly get used to the many announcements in regard to the high-speed transit trains that don’t stop and other announcements as to which ‘binare’ or platform your train will be arriving at.

Shuttle Buses:

These run within the respective towns only.   Corniglia is the only Cinque Terre village that is not by the coast and requires a shuttle bus trip from the station if you don’t wish to hike uphill to the village – it is quite a hike!  The green National Park bus service meets each train arrival at Corniglia and with the Cinque Terre Card, the trip is free.  Otherwise, you’ll pay Euro 1.50 for the trip.

Boats:

Boats run between Riomaggiore and Monterosso during the day.  It’s much more expensive than the trains, but it’s worthwhile doing at least one trip from Riomggiore to Monterosso or vice versa to enjoy  the sea journey, as well as the water views of the villages.  One-way fare in either direction is Euro 8.00.

Walking:

The Cinque Terre offers lots of scenic walks between the five villages and other off the beaten track trails.  Walking the coastal route between the villages or the other trails is very much part of the enjoyment of being in the Cinque Terre.

Tony Checking Out a Bike

We’re having a late lunch break at Caffè dell’Arte next to our hotel in Campo dei Fiori when we notice this smart row of green bikes lined up in a bike rack. Ah, this must be one of the bikesharing schemes that are sprouting up all over Europe.  Since this first sighting, we’ve seen many others during our strolls around the city.

ATAC Roma, the government transit authority that runs the buses and Metro, now runs this service in Rome but unfortunately, the English version of their website does not seem to be available.  This is Mark II of the bikesharing scheme as Roma’n’Bike, the original operators, pulled out after some disagreement with the local government.

How it works

A smart signboard at the bike stand shows you where you can pick up and drop off your shared bike.  Seeing a local man about to pick up a bike, I ask him about the scheme.  He explains that to avail yourself of this service you must firstly pay  €5.00 to register as a user.  The ATAC offices are at Lepanto, Spagna and Termini on Metro A.  You top up your bike sharing card with a balance (at any of the tourist information points) so that your rental costs can be debited from this.  Rental rates are a  flat rate of €0.50 per hour.

The service is available 24/7, and you can take a bike for a maximum of 24 hours at a time. You have to provide some identification/credit card details so that if you don’t return the bike or exceed your time limit, penalties can be charged to your card.  At fines of  €250, users are now remembering to return the bikes to the stands!

The chariots are long gone, but now Rome has bicycles.  Well, if you feel confident enough to cycle on the streets of Rome, this certainly is a great way of getting around.  Having gone around all the piazzas below on foot, I can tell you that my feet are now pretty sore!

Bike Stand Locations are at:

• Via del Corso, 1 (Piazza del Popolo)
• Piazza Madonna di Loreto (Piazza Venezia)
• Piazza del Parlamento
• Piazza Colonna
• Piazza di Spagna
• Largo delle Stimmate (Argentina)
• Piazza delle Cinque Lune (Piazza Navona)
• Via Santa Caterina da Siena (Pantheon)
• Piazza del Biscione (Campo dei Fiori)
• Piazza San Silvestro
• Piazza Sforza Cesarini
• Via della Panetteria (via del Tritone)
• Piazza Sant’Andrea della Valle
• Vicolo della Campana (via della Scrofa)
• Largo Arenula
• Piazza dell’Oratorio
• Via di Santa Maria in Via (Fontana di Trevi)
• Piazza dell’Oro
• Via dei Pontefici