Italy's Italo train | Prima vs. Club Executive Class | Napoli - Roma - Milano | Trip report

The Italo is Italy's private high speed railway operator. The company has a fleet of AGVs and EVO trains that connect most major cities on the Italian mainland.
In this trip report I test the two highest travel classes - Prima and Club Executive class. I explain the differences between them and why the Italian railway system may be a model for other European countries.
The first part of the trip is from Naples (Napoli Centrale) to Rome (Roma Termini), while the second leg of the journey is from Rome (Roma Termini) to Milan (Milano Centrale).
Club Executive Class always comes with lounge access, but Prima class can also be booked with lounge access depending on the fare (Flex Lounge).
In the video I compare ticket prices in Italy and Germany. I also address the question as to why Italian trains may soon be available in other countries.
The channel I mention in the video is ‪@YachtReport‬ Here's the link: / esysmansuperyachts

[@travelmentaryTV]

Buona giornata ✋, if you enjoy the video please don’t forget to like it, as the recent algorithm change makes that more important than ever before. About the video: I filmed it in October 2021 in a more or less spontaneous way, mostly with my phone 😀 Enjoy!

[@grohl51]

This is exactly what i was looking for. Very detailed and well explained. I appreciate it. Greetings from Mexico :)

[@travelmentaryTV]

Muchas gracias! It always makes me happy to read such great feedback. If you enjoy that kind of videos please don‘t forget to subscribe as I release such content regularly 🙂 Christian from travelmentary TV

[@stacistaci100]

such a high quality video! thanks

[@travelmentaryTV]

Thank you very much! Please don’t forget to subscribe for more videos 🙂 Christian from travelmentary TV

[@jonwalkamal]

Wow!! Once again a great video. Reminded me of my trips to Roma Termini and Milan Centrale. As always , great presentation and loads of information!! Your contents as always are extremely charming!!

[@travelmentaryTV]

Thanks glad you enjoyed it, although I can say that the videos that are currently in production will be of even better quality :)

[@jonwalkamal]

@@travelmentaryTV oh wow!! I always look forward to see some brilliant work from you

[@travelmentaryTV]

@@jonwalkamal Well my camerawork in this video here wasn‘t exactly stellar and the editor in me had a hard time working with the footage. Luckily, that is better in the following videos that I am working on :) But I‘m very glad you enjoyed this video.

[@evandroarantes1085]

Nice and excellent video. Thank you so much.

[@rheagalsim7497]

Super informative and looking forward to my trip on the Ítalo soon!

[@travelmentaryTV]

Thank you so much for your encouraging feedback. I wish you a great trip and am looking forward to welcoming on this channel again! Christian from travelmentary TV

[@transportfan2]

I enjoyed the very detailed trip report! I also agree the service onboard ICE first class could be improved.

[@travelmentaryTV]

The Italo is certainly better in my opinion.

[@michaeljohndennis2231]

@@travelmentaryTVBeing Irish myself, I’m fascinated by the Italian railways and I would certainly use the Channel Tunnel from here in Manchester via London and via Paris to get to Italy - I absolutely love and adore the Italian food, culture and lifestyle and rural Italy looks like a wonderful experience, like a villa in the Italian countryside, possibly around Umbria

[@thomaswatson8825]

Thanks!

[@travelmentaryTV]

Oh wow, thanks a lot for that! That is much appreciated :)

[@thomaswatson8825]

You’re welcome. Awesome video. Question about luggage room. We were on Eurorail high speed London to Paris. Extremely limited room. Had to freight check our luggage. Headache and extreme hassle. Going to Italy in October for 2 weeks. Is there a difference in luggage storage area for the 2 upper levels of service you reviewed? My wife usually has 2 BIG suite cases. I recommend 2 medium size for better train options. Wondering your thoughts. Thank You

[@travelmentaryTV]

Hi, I've answered below the other comment and put some links there, that might be useful, because they include some explanations from Italo. As a rule of thumb, the more suitcases you bring and the bigger they are, the more likely problems can occur. In both classes larger suitcases can be stored in baggage areas. In the video you can see the baggage rack in Club Executive Class at 14:52 and whether that is enough space for those suitcases. With that being said, the more people are onboard, the higher the probability that there isn't enough space left. In that case you might try to find another rack in another coach or better yet ask the train attendant. So I'm not saying there will be headache for sure, but the probability is rising the more baggage there is and the chunkier it is.

[@manjunathak7704]

​@@thomaswatson8825Hey, just following up about the luggage. This year we are going to Italy in October and worried about how we place 2 suitcases in Italo. Were you able to manage? We have the exact same problem.

[@donward1587]

Lovely video.

[@travelmentaryTV]

Thanks a lot for your feedback, it means a lot to me as a creator, when people write such comments :) Christian from travelmentary TV

[@Domina7ion]

Great video. I would have thought it had tens of thousands of views. I'm not a huge fan of the music, but I really like the commentary

[@travelmentaryTV]

Hello, thanks a lot for watching and your comment! Well, yeah this is kind of a small channel, but I try to do my best to create enjoyable videos 🙃 Christian from travelmentary TV

[@andreadolfin6238]

In the world only in Italy you can choose between a private high speed and a state owner one

[@ringo7561]

Great video, thanks

[@travelmentaryTV]

Thanks for watching and commenting :)

[@thomaswatson8825]

Awesome review!!! Thank you. We are in Italy for 2 weeks in October. My concern is luggage storage in the train. Does luggage storage options differ between the 2 classes you reviewed? Is there an EASY option to check luggage?

[@travelmentaryTV]

Hi, thanks a lot for watching and your comment. Generally speaking there are baggage racks throughout the train. Some are located in the coaches, some in between two coaches. Additionally, it is possible to store suitcases in the overhead compartment as long as they're not too heavy/chunky. This is the case in both travel classes. One thing to keep in mind is that as far as I know there is a baggage limit in the Smart rate (which is not shown in this video): There, you are not allowed to take suitcases bigger than 75x53x30 cm with you. Italo has a leaflet concerning baggage on its website. Although it is in Italian, I think it is comprehensible: www.italotreno.it/~/media/Images/content/pdf/Informativa%20bagagli/informativa_bagagli_ITA.pdf?la=it&hash=28298471F9229DDD060F19CE64965A63&hash=28298471F9229DDD060F19CE64965A63 Some other questions related to baggage are answered in Italo's FAQs (English): www.italotreno.it/en/support-contacts/faq Hope that helps.

[@travelmentaryTV]

One more thing, because I'm not sure what you mean with "easy option to check luggage". There is no check-in process in an airline sense - you just bring your luggage on board the train and store it there yourself. Enjoy your trip to Italy 🇮🇹🙂

[@6884]

Very extensive and detailed review, thanks a lot! It seems that Club Executive is really not worth the extra money..

[@travelmentaryTV]

Thank you very much 🙏 I appreciate your feedback! Christian from travelmentary TV

[@FlyingDryden]

Nice video! I'm looking at the Club Executive train from Roma Termini to Milano Centrale. You say it takes three hours, but when I look at the booking now, it seems to take five hours with three stops? Another thing - the food you showed, was that all included?

[@travelmentaryTV]

Hi, I’m not a travel agency, so I don’t know what you have booked 🤷‍♂️ Are you sure you chose the right trip on the right site? When I look on Italo’s website there are plenty of trains from Rome to Milan that take 3 hours and 10 minutes or so. Yes, the food (snack on the first leg of the trip and sandwich on the second) was included. However, things may have changed in the meantime. Thanks for watching and happy travels, travelmentary TV

[@FlyingDryden]

@@travelmentaryTV Hello, thank you for your response! I am fully aware that you are not a travel agency. 😉 I was just curious about how short the travel time could be since it differs so much from what I found with Italo AGV.

[@travelmentaryTV]

​@@FlyingDryden Did you find the reason for that though? Because five hours is much, much longer than needed on a direct high-speed train.

[@FlyingDryden]

@@travelmentaryTV I just checked both Trenitalia Frecciarossa (1000) and Italo AGV. The shortest travel time on my current date is 4 hours and 30 minutes (mid-August). However, if I look at the end of August, the times are indeed down to just over three hours. Interesting.

[@travelmentaryTV]

@@FlyingDryden I guess this is the answer: www.fsnews.it/it/focus-on/servizi/2023/6/14/rfi-interruzioni-mesi-estivi-2023.html RFI is doing construction works in August, which includes segments on the Rome-Milan railway. They traditionally choose August, because usually there is less demand in that month.

[@imeldachurch6720]

enjoyed the video!!! Thank you. Does PRIMA class have luggage racks for large luggages?

[@travelmentaryTV]

Hello, I think in between the coaches there are spaces for luggage (which I actually didn't see on the seat maps that I searched online). Thanks for watching and please don't forget to like and subscribe :) Christian from travelmentary TV

[@luxlovejourney2016]

Would like to know where do you store your luggage if you’re in executive club left alone the salloto? Thank you

[@travelmentaryTV]

Luggage can be stored either at the baggage racks or above the seat.

[@owenreutens7915]

love your dark humor :)

[@guglielmodiano8491]

Nice video

[@travelmentaryTV]

Thank you very much. Feedback like that means a lot to me as a small creator 👍

[@travelmentaryTV]

Thank you very much. Feedback like that means a lot to me as a creator 👍

[@traveltheworld886]

Does club executive have overhead compartments

[@travelmentaryTV]

You can put some things above the seat. For larger items there are luggage racks as well (as shown in the video).

[@michaeljohndennis2231]

Given that HS2 has been scrapped here in the U.K. I very much doubt if we will ever have high speed rail here in Manchester now - trains in my native Republic of Ireland are better by comparison, as the Irish government are improving our railways

[@travelmentaryTV]

It's very sad to hear that HS2 was scrapped in such way, it would have improved the lives of so many travelers. I agree Ireland has some pretty good railway services. I tested the Enterprise train some time ago and it was good. Thanks for watching and your comment! Christian form travelmentary TV

[@ringo7561]

Do these trains have bar/restaurant cars?

[@travelmentaryTV]

Based on what I know, there is a snack area on the train with vending machines. Besides they have a service called “Italo Selection”, where the train attendants will bring your order to your place.

[@ringo7561]

@@travelmentaryTV Thanks, last August with a 30 day rail pass, I went on the high speed Trenitalia trains. Italy was the only country that didn't have the bar/restaurant cars open. I couldn't even get a beer on them. I had to bring my own on. Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria all had theirs open.

[@travelmentaryTV]

@@ringo7561 Yeah, having been struck by Corona extremely hard, Italy was very cautious.

[@maarten079]

Comparing ICE with Italo makes no sense. You should compare Italo with Trenitalia offcourse!

[@travelmentaryTV]

You're right from a practical standpoint, but I find it cool to compare all sorts of railway services with each other. It doesn't make sense because obviously the ICE is not a choice in Italy, but nevertheless I think it's interesting to see what is offered in different countries. Thanks for watching! Christian from travelmentary TV

[@rosagioiella2581]

👍🙋‍♀️