Train travel is a breeze

Traveling by train within Italy is simple (skip the domestic flights), and trains are usually on time. The official websites for TrenItalia and Italo can be found here. Trenitalia is a state-owned company, while Italo is privately owned. Both companies run high-speed trains across Italy, and between them, you can travel between most of the country's regions, with a few outliers where driving makes more sense.

Purchasing your ticket: Trains aren't always completely sold out, especially if you're paying for a premium cabin seat, so arrive early or purchase your ticket online ahead of time if you're concerned about missing a train. At the station, tickets can be purchased at the counter or through a self-service machine. Train schedules for Trenitalia and Italo can be found here.

Validate your ticket: Make sure you confirm your ticket before boarding the train! This is one of the most important things to know about traveling to Italy and one of my top travel recommendations for Italy. Insert the ticket into one of the validation machines strewn throughout the train station to accomplish this. In general, if a seat is not assigned, you must validate it, but if you want to be cautious, validate every single ticket. Italy railway tickets, on the other hand, do not require validation; simply give the conductor your booking code.