Frecciarossa or Italo: the route side by side
| Trenitalia Frecciarossa | Italo | |
|---|---|---|
| Journey time | "About 1 h 30" | From 1 h 25 (Nostop) |
| Trains a day | Over 100 connections | 32 each way |
| Rome stations | Shown per train in the search | Roma Termini, Roma Tiburtina |
| Florence station | Shown per train in the search | Firenze S.M. Novella |
| First and last from Rome | 5:10 and 21:48 | Not published on the route page |
| Lowest published price | None published | From €14.90 |
Sources: Trenitalia's Rome–Florence page, which notes that the timetable varies at weekends and in some periods, and Italo's Rome–Florence and Florence–Rome pages (checked 12 October 2026). Italo's €14.90 is a starting price for early purchase; the page says promotional conditions vary with period, availability and ticket type.
Trenitalia's route page does not name stations, and its count of "connections" may include more than direct Frecciarossa trains. When you search, check the arrival station on each result and pick trains that end at Firenze S.M. Novella if that is where you want to arrive.
How each fare handles changes and refunds
These rules come from each operator's own fare pages, checked 12 October 2026: Trenitalia's domestic fares page and Italo's fares page. Neither page publishes a fixed price for each fare on this route; you see the price only in the search.
Trenitalia
| Fare | Change date or time | Refund | Other train if you miss yours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | Unlimited before departure; once up to 1 hour after, paying any difference | Up to departure, minus 20% | Same route and category, €10 penalty, within an hour of departure |
| Economy | Date and time only, paying the difference from the Base price | No | No |
| Super Economy | No | No | No |
Economy is sold until midnight two days before departure and Super Economy until midnight six days before.
Italo
| Fare | Change date or time | Refund |
|---|---|---|
| Flex | Unlimited, up to 3 minutes before departure (the page says "for a fee" without an amount) | 80% |
| Economy | Unlimited up to 3 minutes before departure, for a 20% fee plus any fare difference | 40% |
| Low Cost | Up to 72 hours before departure, for a 60% surcharge plus any fare difference | Not stated on the fares page |
Italo also sells a paid Refund Option on selected offers, which returns 80% if you cancel up to 72 hours before departure. With Flex, if you miss your train you have one hour of "Extra Time" to get a seat on the next available Italo train, subject to availability.
Which ticket for which trip
A worked example: if a non-refundable fare is half the price of a flexible one, you break even on the flexible fare only if there is a real chance you will cancel. With Italo Flex returning 80% and Trenitalia Base 80% (100% minus the 20% deduction), a cancelled flexible ticket costs you 20% of its price; a cancelled Super Economy or Low Cost ticket costs you all of it.
Getting to the station in Rome
A single BIT ticket or a tap of your contactless card covers a metro or bus ride to either station; see Rome metro and bus tickets. If you fly in and head straight to Florence, Fiumicino or Ciampino to central Rome explains the airport link to Termini and Tiburtina. Heading south instead? The Pompeii day trip by train uses the same two companies to Naples.