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Oops, make that my ride: I was aboard one of Italy's newest high-speed trains, the Eurostar Italia. On these trains, riding is a lot like flying -- except that you can watch the glorious northern Italian countryside flash by through panoramic windows. And you get a lot more peanuts.
Eurostar Italia should not be confused with the higher-priced Eurostar trains that shoot from London to Paris beneath the English Channel. The Italian State Railroads claimed the name first, says Jay Brunhouse, author of "Traveling Europe's Trains" (Pelican, $15.95), and apparently is delighted by the heightened publicity the other Eurostar has generated. Currently, the fastest Eurostar Italia trains operate between Milan and Rome (with stops in Bologna and Florence); Venice and Rome (with stops in Padua, Bologna and Florence); and Milan and Naples (with stops in Bologna, Florence and Rome). Daylight service is almost hourly on the Milan-to-Rome route, according to Salvatore Polizzi of CIT, an agency of the Italian State Railroads. Reservations are required in both first and second class and can be made here (see below) or at Italian railway stations.
Soon after my wife and I had departed Venice for Florence, a uniformed attendant pushed the beverage cart down the aisle. He offered newspapers, complimentary soft drinks and coffee, a really big box of peanuts, cookies and earphones for a choice of music. I plugged into Channel 3, classical; pushed a button to adjust my well-cushioned seat; and settled back to enjoy my flight.
Oops, make that my ride: I was aboard one of Italy's newest high-speed trains, the Eurostar Italia. On these trains, riding is a lot like flying -- except that you can watch the glorious northern Italian countryside flash by through panoramic windows. And you get a lot more peanuts.
These bullet-nose trains, sporting plush interiors, provide most of the standard in-flight services to which air travelers are accustomed. This definitely means spotless airplane-style restrooms in place of the foul pits found on too many of the world's trains. For tourists, the Eurostar trains are probably the easiest and most comfortable way to get between Italy's major cities. And the most affordable.
Italy's trains, express or local, are among Europe's best travel bargains. We had booked seats in a first-class compartment, and the two-hour, 45-minute ride from Venice to Florence cost just under $60 each. In second class (no complimentary goodies here), the price is about $40. Alitalia, the Italian airline, quotes a one-way fare between the two cities of $128.
Eurostar Italia should not be confused with the higher-priced Eurostar trains that shoot from London to Paris beneath the English Channel. The Italian State Railroads claimed the name first, says Jay Brunhouse, author of "Traveling Europe's Trains" (Pelican, $15.95), and apparently is delighted by the heightened publicity the other Eurostar has generated. Currently, the fastest Eurostar Italia trains operate between Milan and Rome (with stops in Bologna and Florence); Venice and Rome (with stops in Padua, Bologna and Florence); and Milan and Naples (with stops in Bologna, Florence and Rome). Daylight service is almost hourly on the Milan-to-Rome route, according to Salvatore Polizzi of CIT, an agency of the Italian State Railroads. Reservations are required in both first and second class and can be made here (see below) or at Italian railway stations.
Painted in gleaming green and white, our 11-car train looked like a plane without wings as it sat in the Venice station. We boarded a nonsmoking car and found our seats. Luggage is stored overhead or on shelves at one end of each car.
An attendant showed up taking reservations for a formal lunch in the dining car -- an option for which passengers pay extra. We chose instead to buy hot sandwiches and soft drinks (about $5 each) in the snack bar and dine at our seats.
Our ride was wonderfully free of the bumps and lurches generally associated with train travel, even when we weaved through the mountains in our final approach into Florence. For all of Eurostar Italia's similarity to air travel, we had been spared at least one unpleasant aspect of planes. Our engineer never once ordered us to buckle up because of turbulence. On these trains, there isn't any.
To book Eurostar Italia or other European trains, contact CIT, the Italian State Railroads agency, at 1-800-248-7245 (CIT-RAIL) or Rail Europe, the French National Railways agency, at 1-800-438-7245.Italy's new Eurostar Italia high-speed trains get you from Venice to Florence in under three hours -- for less than $60 first-class.
PHOTO CAPTION: Italy's new Eurostar Italia high-speed trains get you from Venice to Florence in under three hours -- for less than $60 first-class.
Copyright The Washington Post Company Jan 4, 1998