Florence to Rome by Train: Frecciarossa vs Italo from SMN

Frecciarossa or Italo from Florence

Sources: Trenitalia's Frecciarossa Rome–Florence page and Italo's Florence–Rome page, checked 3 November 2026. Italo's page gives no conditions for the €14.90 price beyond advising early purchase. Its timetable section was not working when we checked, and Trenitalia's page gives no first or last train, so read departure times in the booking search.

Florence's official tourism site says regional, high-speed and international trains all use Santa Maria Novella and puts the average high-speed run to Rome at 1 hour 32 minutes. It also lists Campo di Marte and Rifredi as city stations without saying which trains call there, so look at the departure station on each Trenitalia result before you book. A train from Campo di Marte means a bus or taxi across town rather than a walk to SMN.

How the fares work

Neither company sells this route at a fixed price. Trenitalia's fare rules say the number of seats at each price level is limited and varies by day, train and class, and that even the flexible Base fare has several price levels. The cheapest fares also close early:

• Trenitalia Super Economy is sold until midnight six days before departure: no changes, no refund.
• Trenitalia Economy is sold until midnight two days before: date or time changes before departure on the same train category, paying the difference to the Base price; no refund.
• Trenitalia Base has no sales deadline: unlimited changes before departure and one up to an hour after, refund before departure minus 20%.

Italo's fares page works on the same idea with different rules: Low Cost can be changed up to 72 hours before departure for a 60% surcharge plus any fare difference; Economy can be changed up to 3 minutes before departure for a 20% fee and refunds 40%; Flex allows unlimited changes up to 3 minutes before departure (the page mentions a fee) and refunds 80%. Our Rome to Florence comparison sets the two companies' rules side by side.

All high-speed tickets include a reserved seat; Feel Florence states that every high-speed ticket requires one. Each company's change and missed-train rules apply only to its own trains, so compare them before you choose.

Termini or Tiburtina

Italo serves both Rome stations on this route, and Trenitalia shows the station per train. Pick by where you are going next, using Roma Mobilità's metro information (page updated 29 April 2026):

Metro A and B run from 5:30, with the last trains leaving the end stations at about 23:30 Sunday to Thursday and about 1:30 on Friday and Saturday. If your train reaches Rome after about 23:00 on a weeknight, the metro may already be finishing; plan on a taxi or a hotel within walking distance. Our Rome metro and bus tickets guide covers paying for the onward ride.

Rome as a day trip from Florence

With about 1 hour 25 to 1 hour 35 each way, a day in Rome costs about three hours on trains plus the walk to SMN and the metro in Rome. That works for one or two sights, not for the Vatican and the Colosseum together.

The return train is the risk. On Trenitalia Super Economy or Economy, missing your train means you have no valid ticket; on Base you can board another train of the same category on the same route within an hour of your booked departure, after contacting staff, for a €10 penalty. Italo Flex gives one hour of "Extra Time" to find a seat on the next available Italo train, subject to availability.

When a regional train makes sense

Regional trains need no reservation, and Trenitalia's rules for regional travel differ from the high-speed ones:

1. A paper regional ticket must be stamped in a machine at the departure station before boarding, and the journey must be completed within four hours of stamping.
2. A Digital Regional Ticket is tied to the train you choose and activates at its scheduled departure; you can change the date and time freely until 23:59 the day before, and the time until departure on the day.
3. An Electronic Regional Ticket needs no stamping and is valid for four hours from the chosen train's departure.

We could not find an official page giving the Florence–Rome regional journey time or fare, so this guide does not compare them. If a high-speed fare has jumped and the planner offers a regional connection, check its total duration against the four-hour validity before buying a paper ticket, and remember there is no guaranteed seat. For most visitors a cheap high-speed fare booked a week or more ahead is the better trade.

Getting to Santa Maria Novella by tram or bus is covered in our Florence bus and tram tickets guide. If you fly home from Rome, Fiumicino or Ciampino to central Rome explains the airport trains from Termini and Tiburtina.