This will be a short and sweet post about my first time riding on Italo in their Club Executive class from Florence to Rome. I know it’s a very popular route, and you may be wondering if paying the nominal upgrade fee is worth it. Well, I’m here to tell you what I experienced from getting to the train station, entering the lounge, the amenities on the train, and more. Keep reading to find out if this class is right for you!

Buying the Tickets

After attending a beautiful wedding just outside Florence, we had to get to the next part of our trip in Rome. We opted for the train as we didn’t feel like driving and thought it would be nice to treat ourselves to an upgraded cabin experience. We had been on Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa before but had never tried Italo’s high speed train, so we thought we’d try something new.

Booking with Italo ended up being better value for us this time, because Club Executive tickets (about 65 EUR per person) included lounge access at the train station. Compared to Trenitalia’s Executive which would’ve run us at about 145 EUR to include lounge access or 71 EUR for a Business Private Cabin.

Purchasing the tickets on the Italo website was super easy. I didn’t pay to choose my seats in advance and the system automatically assigned us seats together. We also didn’t need to validate our tickets at the station, only show our QR code on the train. Tickets go on sale usually 3-4 months in advance.

Firenze Santa Maria Novella Train Station

There are a few things you should know about the Florence train station to make traveling easier. The first is that the train station is about a 10-minute walk from the Duomo area of Florence, so you’ll often see hordes of travelers with their roller suitcases to/from the train station. The second is that it’s quite difficult to drive in Florence because there are streets closed to vehicle traffic (ZTL areas) without a special permit, but taxis are usually allowed and can easily be taken to the train station. Finally, you should know that this train station is always very crowded without a ton of places to sit down and relax.

That said, I like this train station because it’s easy to navigate. There’s a large ticket office with tons of staff and booths in case you need assistance. There’s also a decent mall on the lower level of the train station and some restaurants on the main level.

If there was ever a reason to splurge on a ticket that included lounge access, it would be at Firenze Santa Maria Novella station.

Italo Lounge

Tucked into the corner of the main level of the train station sits the Italo Lounge. As soon as you wade through the sweaty tourists huddling in front of the train track entrances and reach the lounge doors, you’ll see Italo staff checking tickets for lounge access.

While the lounge isn’t huge or particularly exciting, what I love is that it’s quiet. Yes, you read right. It feels like a quiet respite in an otherwise crazy crowded train station. There’s ample seating, a coffee bar with some pastries, and a clean bathroom. There are also Italo train schedules posted all over the place so you can keep an eye on your train time.

Without lounge access, it would be difficult to find a place to sit, we’d need to scrounge up coins to use the restrooms, and we’d have to remain close to the train schedules. One thing I went to mention, though, is that they don’t store bags at the lounge. Since we had to check out of our accommodations in Florence early, we were happy to spend that additional time relaxing quietly in the lounge before our train arrived.

Boarding the Train

The train tracks get assigned around 10 minutes prior to departure time. Once a track was assigned, we left the lounge and with our bags in tow headed to the assigned track. It look less than 2 minutes to get to our train as the tracks were easy to find, and headed to the first coach.

Club Executive Cabin

The cabin itself is nothing too special. We were assigned to Coach 1 which consisted of a handful of large seats and a couple of private compartments. Similar to the lounge, the cabin was quiet and there was ample room to store our bags overhead.

Seats were in a 2×1 configuration with at least one of them being a 4-seater surrounding a table. Our seats were wide and pretty comfortable. They reclined about the same amount as an airplane seat, had large tray tables, electrical outlets right in front, a footrest, and a small TV screen tucked into the armrest.

Shortly after we departed, a staff member came through offering soft drinks and a basket of snacks. I was expecting a lunch box or an actual meal tray, but I’m guessing the route was too short to warrant a full meal. The snack selection was pretty varied and undeniably Italian. I went with the cheese stick. The staff came by one or two more times during the ride to see if anyone needed anything. Solid service!

Florence to Rome Train Ride

This route was just over 1.5 hours in total, and it was a smooth ride. The route was scenic for the first 15 minutes of leaving Florence before it turned into tunnels and generic countryside scenes.

It’s important to know that the train stopped at Roma Tiburtina first which is not the same as the terminal station, Roma Termini. The train made an announcement that passengers heading into central Rome should get off at Roma Termini which was hopefully helpful to travelers.

Arrival at Roma Termini

Getting to Roma Termini was a breeze, but the station itself was busy. I had previously arranged a driver to pick us up at the station so we didn’t have to struggle with our bags to find the taxi line, and it worked out great. Our driver Whatsapp’d me that he saw our train arrived and he was waiting in front of the McDonald’s holding a sign with my name, and sure enough he was right there.

We were escorted to his parked van, cranked up the A/C, offered us some water bottles, and we were shortly off. The ride to the hotel wasn’t too long, but I’m glad we had a driver meet us at the train station since it took one more stress factor away. The private transfer cost 55 EUR, and though it’s more expensive than a taxi, we felt it was well worth it.

Kat’s Final Thoughts

Back to the train experience, was Club Executive class worth it on Italo? In this case, I would say yes. The cost of the upgraded tickets were reasonable, and the access to the lounge at the station in Florence was worth it alone. Just to have a quiet and not crowded space to relax in before your train ride was a huge appeal for us. The seats were comfortable, the service was lovely, and the train ride was quick and smooth. If you’re looking to add a little extra touch to your travel itinerary without breaking the bank, then I would snag Club Executive tickets.