Station Services
Services vary depending on the size of the station, but you'll always find a ticket/information desk and restrooms (some of the latter require payment).
Sometimes there is also a newsstand, a cafe, some shops, an office to assist travelers with disabilities, tourist information, and a currency exchange. Some offer tourist services like hotel booking.
Most stations have removed luggage storage lockers for security reasons. Larger stations typically have a luggage storage office instead.
Cities and towns of all sizes in Italy have train stations. The layout may seem different in each one, but there are enough similarities between them that it's easy to figure out where you need to go in any Italian train station—even if you've never been there before.
Train stations come in two basic formats—a terminus station where trains arrive nose-in and depart in the reverse direction, and a pass-through station where trains continue moving in the same direction after a brief stop. With the former, you'll simply need to walk down the long platform at the nose of all the trains to find your platform number. With the latter, you'll typically need to use an underground walkway (called a "sottopassagio") to get to other platforms without crossing the tracks themselves.
The ItaliaPass Lounge at Rome's Termini Station is an oasis of calm in the hectic world of Italy's busiest train station.
Located at the start of Track 25, the Lounge is open to all ItaliaPass members, as well as day pass holders ($20/day). Inside, travelers can use the free Skype room and WiFi (it's the most reliable WiFi at Termini), enjoy an espresso and the snack or drinks of your choice, and use the dedicated travel concierge to book tours, transfers, and hotel reservations.
There are even special events inside the ItaliaPass Lounge, like art exhibits, lectures, and tastings and meet-and-greets with wine and food artisans.
Most European train stations used to have luggage lockers, but these have been removed almost across the board because of security concerns. Today, major stations typically have a staffed luggage storage office (often called "left luggage") with both hourly and daily fees.
Costs vary, but luggage storage offices are more expensive than luggage lockers once were. You can leave items for more than 24 hours, just note the hourly and daily rates when you drop off your bags so you know what the final cost will be.
This service is not offered in every station.
Trenitalia offers assistance for travelers with disabilities through Sala Blu (which means Blue Room or Blue Hall in Italian). There are Sala Blu facilities at 14 train stations, and these manage a circuit of 270 stations throughout the country for increased access through coordinated services.
Travelers with reduced mobility for any reason can take advantage of Sala Blu services. This includes pregnant women, elderly travelers, blind or visually-impaired people, deaf or hearing-impaired people, people in a wheelchair (from an illness or disability), people with limb problems or difficulty walking, and people with mental handicaps.
Services Offered in Sala Blu Train Locations in Italy
Services available from Sala Blu include information, use of wheelchairs, assistance in navigating the station, lifts for wheelchair-bound travelers to get on and off trains, and more. Find out all the details on the official Sala Blu website.
How to Arrange for Sala Blu Assistance
You can request RFI's assistance by going to the Sale Blu directly, or by calling the RFI National Telephone Number - 199 30 30 60 from within Italy* (the toll-free number 800 90 60 60 works only from landlines). Outside Italy, dial +39 06 47308579.
These numbers are available seven days a week from 6:45am through 9:30pm Italian time, including public holidays.
You can also send an email to the Sala Blu office at a specific station (see the contact information here) detailing your travel information and assistance requirements. A complete list of what information to include is available on this page.
For international travel, assistance requests must be made at least 48 hours before departure. For trips within Italy, requests must be made at least 24 hours before if requesting by email, and between 1-12 hours before depending on the hour of departure.
* Calls from a landline in Italy cost 6.12 eurocents plus 2.64 eurocents per minute; mobile operators may charge more.
Both Rome's Fiumicino Airport and Milan's Malpensa Airport have train stations right inside the airport terminal that make it easy to reach the city center or, in some cases, other cities altogether. Malpensa Airport has 2 train stations, one at Terminal 1 and one at Terminal 2. You will need to know which terminal you are arriving at to purchase your ticket, as they are not interchangeable.
Rome's Leonardo Express and Milan's Malpensa Express connect the airports with the city centers specifically. You can book your air-rail connection in www.italiarail.com which will make you save time and money compared to other options. In Italy you can get a train to nearly anywhere else in Italy you need to go.
Turin-Caselle (also called Sandro Pertini) Airport has a rail link with the city center.
The ItaliaPass Lounge is located at the start of Track 25 in Rome's Termini Station.
To reach the lounge from the main hall on the Piazza dei Cinqucento, walk all the way along the tracks to the right until you see the start of Track 25. The lounge is to the right, opposite Track 25 and near Tracks 26-29.
Some train stations in Italy now have free wifi. At last count, 14 stations in major Italian cities offered free wifi through a collaboration with Fastweb, including Roma Termini, Italy's (and Europe's) largest train station.
The fastest and most reliable wifi in Termini, however, is at the ItaliaPass Lounge, located at the start of Track 25. Day passes are $20 USD, and an annual ItaliaPass membership guarantees unlimited entry for an entire year.
ItaliaRail customers can purchase an ItaliaPass for the special discounted price of $19 (reg. $49) when checking out. Membership covers two adults and two children and entitles holders to discounts on popular tours & activities in Italy, as well as transfers, hotels, rail, and more.