Italo Treno Buying Guide: High-Speed Italy Tickets by Fare Family and Carriage Class

Italo sells a fare and a seat, not one bundled first-class ticket

Italo is the passenger brand of Italo – Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori S.p.A., Italy’s first private high-speed operator, based in Rome at Via Casilina 1 (VAT 09247981005). The shops at italotreno.it and italotreno.com sell named seats on Alstom AGV 575 sets, which the company says can run up to 360 km/h, and on Italo EVO trains. A 12 February 2026 note lists 25 AGV and 26 EVO units and the 2023 purchase of Itabus. The homepage, checked on 19 September 2026, cites 50 major cities and 57 stations, with examples such as Naples–Rome in about one hour and Milan–Rome in about three. Some tickets continue on Itabus coaches or SNAV ferries.

Every purchase has two choices. The fare family — Low Cost, Economy, or Flex — sets whether you can move the date or time, what fee applies, and how much you get back if you cancel. The travel class — Smart, Prima Business, or Club Executive — sets the carriage, catering, Fast Track, and lounge rights. You can put Low Cost in Prima or Flex in Smart. Club Salotto is a private four-seat room sold on top of Club, not a fourth fare. Prices are yield-managed: Italo does not publish a Rome–Milan list price, so treat any euro figure as that day’s inventory.

Low Cost, Economy, and Flex as listed on 19 September 2026

Low Cost is the cheapest family on the official fares page. You may change the date and time up to 72 hours before departure by paying 60 percent of the ticket plus any difference versus the fare then on sale. After that gate, the page does not offer a later change window, and it lists no standard refund percentage. Economy sits in the middle: unlimited date and time changes up to three minutes before departure for a 20 percent fee plus any fare difference, and a 40 percent refund if you cancel. Extra Time on Economy is listed as a promotion.

Flex is the published maximum-flexibility family in every class. You may change time and date as often as you like up to three minutes before departure. A passenger-name change is allowed for a fee. If you cancel, the published refund is 80 percent. Flex includes one hour of Extra Time if you miss the train, subject to seats, via station staff or Italo Assistenza at +39 06 89371892. Refund Option on selected offers pays 80 percent if you cancel up to 72 hours before. Standalone Extra Time costs 10 euros plus any fare difference. Leave Now costs 15 euros per passenger and tries an earlier train up to two hours before the booked time.

• Low Cost: change date or time up to 72 hours before for a 60 percent surcharge plus any fare difference; no standard refund listed
• Economy: unlimited date and time changes up to 3 minutes before for a 20 percent fee plus any difference; 40 percent refund if you cancel
• Flex: unlimited date and time changes up to 3 minutes before; name change for a fee; 80 percent refund; Extra Time included if seats remain
• Selected add-ons: Refund Option, 80 percent back up to 72 hours before; Extra Time 10 euros plus fare difference; Leave Now 15 euros per passenger

Prima Business, Club Executive, and the Salotto you book as a room

Smart is the standard carriage. Official pages describe reclining leather seats with footrests, side tables, and power outlets. Food is not a welcome service at the seat: you buy snacks and drinks from Snack Area vending machines, and on-demand catering may be offered. Free Wi-Fi is included. Luggage is free in number, but each piece must stay within 75 × 53 × 30 cm. That cap is why many travelers with a hard-shell suitcase step up to Prima even if they do not want at-seat coffee. Smart does not include the Club Lounge or Fast Track. Seat maps still let you pick window or aisle when inventory remains.

Prima Business adds wider reclining leather seats, extra legroom, single armrests, and a welcome service of snacks plus coffee, tea, and cold drinks at the seat. Fast Track is included where that lane exists. Large luggage is allowed without the Smart size cap. The lounge is not included; Smart or Prima buyers add it at checkout when space remains, or use some Italo Più tiers. Club Executive is first class: extra-wide armchairs, lounge access from 90 minutes before departure, Fast Track, at-seat catering for the trip (the Italian class page lists espresso, bakery items, prosecco, and beer), and large bags. Club Salotto is a closed four-seat room with a wardrobe, sold separately.

• Smart: reclining leather, power, Snack Area vending, free Wi-Fi; bags within 75 × 53 × 30 cm; no lounge or Fast Track
• Prima Business: wider seats, at-seat welcome snacks and drinks, Fast Track, large bags; lounge not included
• Club Executive: widest armchairs, lounge from 90 minutes before departure, Fast Track, trip-long catering, large bags
• Club Salotto: private four-seat room plus Club services and a wardrobe; sold as its own product
• Lounges on 19 September 2026: Turin Porta Susa, Milan Centrale, Venice Santa Lucia, Bologna Centrale, Florence SMN, Rome Termini, Naples Centrale

The 75 × 53 × 30 cap, folding bikes, and bags that stay your problem

Italo’s luggage page treats bags as included. There is no published bag count or weight fee. You stow items yourself in vestibule racks, overhead shelves, under seats, or lockers on equipped coaches. Medium pieces belong in overhead racks capped at 53 cm high and 42 cm deep. In Smart, no item may exceed 75 × 53 × 30 cm; Prima and Club may take larger suitcases if they fit. Label each bag with name and address. Do not block doors, aisles, or reduced-mobility spaces. Lost property goes through FindMyLost, linked from the luggage page. Folded strollers, folding bikes, and folded scooters are allowed; scooters stay in vestibules; full-size bikes are not.

On Italo plus Itabus tickets, foldable bikes and strollers may ride on the coach with the frame closed, but the FAQ says electric bicycles and scooters cannot go on the buses. Hazardous items are banned. If staff find a non-conforming bag, the carriage contract says you must take it off at the next stop and may owe a fine. You remain responsible for theft or damage. There is no airline-style checked hold. Measure a Smart suitcase at home: a typical large spinner fails the 75 × 53 × 30 box even when the ticket was cheap. Prima is the simpler fix when the bag, not the catering, is why you leave Smart.

Book on italotreno.it, the app, Pronto Italo, or a station window

The official digital office is italotreno.com and italotreno.it, plus a mobile site. The Italo Treno app is listed for the App Store, Google Play, and App Gallery, with no booking commission, fare comparison, changes, real-time status, Wallet or Easy Boarding, and pay by card, Google Pay, or PayPal until three minutes before departure. You do not have to print: staff accept the digital ticket, the app screen, a confirmation SMS, a station receipt, or an agency printout. Every ticket is named. Identity must match the passenger line. A ticket sold outside authorized channels, or used by someone else, is treated as invalid.

Pronto Italo at +39 06 07 08 sells tickets daily from 7:00 to 23:00 with no sales fee; your operator’s call charge still applies, and PayPal is not offered on that line. Ticket offices and self-service machines sit in network stations. At stations without gates you can reserve at the platform, board, and pay a Bordo ticket on the train. Intermodal coach legs must be paid before boarding. Agency purchases often refund through the agency or Italo Assistance on 892020. Manage Journey asks for first name, surname, and the six-character ticket code. You can attach an Italo Più number the same way until three minutes before departure.

Book Italo for an Italian city pair — skip it when the map is wrong

Italo fits travelers who already know the high-speed map and want a reserved seat without an airline-style bag fee: Rome, Milan, Florence, Venice, Naples, Turin, Bologna, Verona, Salerno, and the other footer stations, plus some Itabus or SNAV legs. Children from birth to 36 months ride free on an adult’s lap; each extra infant needs a seat. The Italo Family offer, when on sale, lets children under 14 ride free in Smart with an adult on Flex; read the conditions page at booking. Pets up to 5 kilograms travel free in a carrier. Larger dogs can be added as a paid line in Smart or Prima on all three fares.

Price the fare as schedule insurance and the class as furniture. A Low Cost Prima seat still cannot move inside 72 hours without that 60 percent surcharge. A Flex Smart seat is what I buy when a meeting might slip.

— Alex Rivera

Skip Italo when your trip is a regional hop, a night train, or a town the 57-station list does not serve. Skip Low Cost if you cannot freeze the clock 72 hours out. Skip Smart if the suitcase is larger than 75 × 53 × 30 cm. Skip Club if you only wanted lounge food: Prima plus a paid lounge add-on may cost less. Italo and Trenitalia do not honor each other’s reservations. Skip unofficial resellers that cannot put your legal name on the ticket. Wheelchair users should call Pronto Italo: AGV sets have dedicated spaces, EVO trains list two spaces in carriage 3, and EU size limits apply.

What Italo will not fix for you

Italo is not Italy’s only high-speed railway. Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa uses overlapping corridors and sometimes different stops in the same city. A cheap Italo fare is useless if you need a Regionale or Intercity that Italo does not run. Starlink Wi-Fi is being fitted from mid-2026 with a 2027 finish in the February 2026 note, so not every train has the new satellite link on 19 September 2026. Older free Wi-Fi still uses the .italo network plus an email and mobile number for Italolive. Call-center 892020 is paid: from an Italian landline the site lists 30.5 euro cents to connect and 54.9 euro cents per minute. Tickets last until arrival, at most 180 days from purchase.

Frequently asked questions

Can I change or refund an Italo ticket after I pay?

Yes, if the fare family allows it. Use Manage Journey on italotreno.it or in the app, or call 892020 (+39 06 89371892 from abroad) with the passenger name and six-character ticket code. Flex changes are unlimited up to three minutes before departure. Economy charges 20 percent plus any fare difference on the same clock. Low Cost only until 72 hours before, at 60 percent plus any difference. Published cancel refunds are 40 percent on Economy and 80 percent on Flex. Agency tickets often refund through the agency. Italian residents can request an invoice within 24 hours via Change Reservation.

Does the Italo app replace a station ticket office?

For most travelers, yes. The app sells the same inventory without a booking commission, stores tickets, supports changes, and can add a pass to Wallet until three minutes before departure. The mobile site covers the same jobs if you skip another app. A station window or Pronto Italo still matters for cash, a wheelchair space, a promo check, or a Bordo ticket after a platform reservation. Self-service machines take cards and sometimes cash. Onboard purchase without a platform reservation is not the normal path, and it is forbidden on intermodal coaches. If you lose the code, use My Trips or 892020; onboard staff can recover it against photo ID.

What luggage can I take on Smart versus Prima or Club?

All classes include luggage in the fare. Smart limits each piece to 75 × 53 × 30 cm. Prima and Club allow larger suitcases in end-of-coach and vestibule racks. Overhead shelves are about 53 cm high and 42 cm deep. You may bring several items if you can stow them without blocking movement. Folded strollers, folding bikes, and folded scooters are allowed; scooters stay in vestibules; full-size bikes are not. Label every bag. There is no published weight fee and no checked hold. If a bag does not comply, the contract says you must take it off at the next stop and may owe a fine. Use FindMyLost from the official luggage page for a forgotten item.

Who can sit in the Italo Club Lounge without a Club ticket?

Club tickets include lounge access from 90 minutes before departure at the seven stations listed above. Italo Più Premium, Privilege, Privilege Plus, and Corporate cardholders may also enter with a valid same-day Italo ticket starting from that station, subject to seats. Smart and Prima buyers can sometimes add lounge access at checkout or later in My Travels up to 45 minutes before departure if the option appears and the code lists one passenger. Fast Track at Rome Termini platform 12 and Milan Centrale gate C is listed for Milan–Rome tickets, Prima or Club, paid lounge add-ons, and those Italo Più tiers, plus companions and children with valid tickets. Hours vary by city on the lounge page.

Are children and pets free on Italo?

Infants from birth to 36 months travel free on an adult’s lap without a separate seat. If one adult brings more than one infant, each extra infant needs a paid seat. On Italo plus Itabus tickets, the FAQ says the infant seat on the coach must be paid and an approved child seat is the adult’s job. Children under 14 may travel free in Smart under the Italo Family offer when an adult buys Flex and the live conditions are met. Pets of 5 kilograms or less travel free in a carrier. Larger dogs need the paid Dog add-on in Smart or Prima. Guide dogs follow accessibility rules, not the pet-fee table.