Even if you are totally in love with Venice (many people are) and want to stay there forever, sometimes you just have to leave the place. One of the ways to do this is the high-speed Frecciarossa train, operated by Trenitalia. In case your destination is Rome, this choice is optimal - both in terms of quickness and comfort.
Departing from Venice
Venice has only one railway station in its historical part (a big one, though). The name of this terminus is Venezia Santa Lucia, and it is located right near famous channels and islands. The big logotype on the facade of the building contains letters F and S, standing for Ferrovie dello Stato - Italian State Railways.
This place is pretty much crowded, as well as the whole city, and I am sure that there is never a quiet time. The tourist magnet works without breaks and days off. To its credit, the location is one of a kind and the atmosphere is unique, so it’s hard to resist a temptation of visiting Venice at least once.
Venezia Santa Lucia faces the Grand Canal, and the first thing that an arriving passenger sees after leaving the station is the classic Venice view. A catholic church (San Simeone Piccolo), a bridge (Ponte degli Scalzi), old colorful palaces and dozens of boats of various shapes and sizes. It is like entering a postcard, the feeling is rather mind-blowing.
However, I move in the opposite direction this time and leave the cityscape of very special beauty behind. I go through the halls of the railway station, passing shops and cafes by and heading to the train tracks.
My train to Rome is on the track number 7. Well, to be perfectly precise, it is the train AV9427, Venice-Naples, but it goes via the capital of Italy, where I am about to get off.
The vehicle itself represents the Frecciarossa ETR 500 family. This high-speed train has a passenger capacity of more than five hundred seats and the ability to maintain the speed of 300 km/h. I have a ticket for Business Class, which shares the first car of the train with the class called Executive (the one with enormously huge armchairs).
The route and the view
The distance between Venice and Rome is approximately 550 kilometers. The ride lasts for three and a half hours, during which the train goes southwards and makes short intermediate stops at five stations, including Padua, Bologna and Florence.
The trip starts in quite a spectacular manner: the railroad, together with lanes for cars, buses and trams, goes through a long causeway known as Ponte della Libertà (Liberty Bridge). This construction connects the historical center of Venice with its mainland part and offers travelers a great view with big water on both sides.
Then, train stops for two minutes at Venezia Mestre, the second big railway station of the city. Fun fact: during the night time it plays a role of terminal station, while Venezia Santa Lucia is closed.
From this point on, the scenery starts to be strictly terrestrial: with wide green fields, cute settlements and mountains in the background. There is also a great deal of tunnels on the route, so be prepared to spend a considerable part of the journey in their chilly darkness.
In Florence, around the middle of the road, the train changes its direction. So, I get an additional entertaining variation: the outside view, which was moving for me from left to right, begins to move in the opposite way.
As a side note, during the stop at Firenze Santa Maria Novella station I meet an Italo high-speed train. If I am not mistaken, it is the elegant ETR 675 - like the one I was riding in order to get from Milan to Venice.
The Business Class of Frecciarossa
I am inside a Business Class car. It has big chairs with black leather upholstery, placed in rows of three (2+1) with a wide aisle in the center. Most of the seats are placed towards one another and have wooden, partially unfolding tables in between.
I just find my seat and fall into it, when two train staff members with a food cart appear. They quickly and deftly move through the train and leave a bottle of water and a snack for each passenger. The snack appears to be a tart-like cookie with cherry jam. What a nice welcoming gesture!
I start enjoying my ride, lounging in the 11D chair. All seats have numbers consisting of two parts, like in airplanes: the digits indicate the number of the row, and letters stand for a chair placement. Interestingly, the first chair in each row marked with A, the second - with B, and the third holds a D on its back. Where, you may ask, all the Cs are? Honestly, I have no idea.
Anyway, those symbols don’t matter that much. Especially when there is the automated adjustment control of the chair. The buttons with unambiguous pictograms allow me to gradually move between two endpoints and find the best position, whether I am awake and active or sleepy and lazy.
I perform the sleeping test between Bologna and Florence (that part of the route is mainly a tunnel, so it’s alright even if you have a fear of missing out). The chair passes it perfectly: I fall asleep without a problem and wake up rested and fresh. Not any chair can offer this kind of pleasure - well done, Fressiarossa!
Book a cheap Fressiarossa ticket
Speaking of well-done things, there is a tray table with three cup holders of various sizes (I guess, the central one is made for a bottle). Apart from that, I can connect my smartphone to a power socket (or go mad and throw it into a personal trash bin). Also, I like the smart usage of the space under the seats as a luggage storage (I’ve met a similar design solution in Øresundståg).
In general, the ride is smooth and pleasant. The ticket control is easy-going and almost unnoticeable. The cookie that I’ve got at the beginning is tasty. The silent area of the car is, as it’s supposed to be, silent - putting the sounds of moving train aside.
The information display in the middle of the car says, among other things, that we are 17 minutes late. Which, of course, is not a reason to worry. At the end of this short journey, I am a fully satisfied customer.
Arriving (and staying) in Rome
I exit the train and step on one of the platforms at Roma Termini, the big station in the center of the big city. The train has a 15-minute break before moving further and changing its direction again. My break will be way much longer, because I am going to stay in Rome for some time.
Before leaving the station, I have a good opportunity to compare the shapes of two affined trains. There is a Fressiarossa 1000 train on the track next to the Fressiarossa ETR 500. As you can see, the one I was just riding has a modest, short nose in comparison to many other high-speed railroad vehicles. It looks nice and doesn’t affect its ability of being really fast.
Now, for the last thing, I’d like to say a couple of words about the hotel which I used for my stay in Rome. It’s called Relais Santa Maria Maggiore and located in a 10-minute walk from Roma Termini. The establishment occupies a historical building - so, in addition to modern means of comfort and service, it has a fancy spiral stairwell.
That’s it for now, thank you for reading! If you decide to try the same route, be sure to use these useful links: cheap train tickets, hotels in Venice and hotels in Rome. Get the best prices and have the nicest trips!
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