I am a fan of the low cost regional trains in Italy (the equivalent of Inter Regio in Switzerland) because they are so cheap (€11 from Domodossola to Milan), reasonably efficient and pleasant to travel with because the rolling stock is new and there is air conditioning along with improved seat comfort. Most trains seem to operate with a 2nd class only configuration and, while they do get busy, on my trips they rarely became totally jammed. Ticketing, however, can be an issue because there are two companies in the north, Trenitalia and TRENORD (not to mention Frecciarossa, the intercity trains). Sometimes it is tricky to create tickets across the two companies and separate back-to-back ones are required. Also, sometimes, around the Milan area, they offer itineraries which include a trip on an urban or suburban metro which needs to be paid separately. The Trenitalia website often features fares that are impossible to book, such as domestic Italian fares on Austrian ÖBB trains that go down to Verona and Bologna. I wouldn't go near the TRENORD website and I use only the Trenitalia machines in the stations. The Italo ones are useless for my purposes and I never see anyone using them.
Leaving the train from Peschiera del Garda at Milano Lambrate station
Milano Centrale station
The regional train from Bolzano to Verona (€14.80) was reasonably efficient and punctual, although the rolling stock wasn't the most modern. The bus from Verona Porta Nuova station to Verona airport (where I had a car rental waiting) is now €7.50. For me, this is just another Italian scam because I remember when this route was €1. In fact, they've jumped on the bandwagon all over Italy of suddenly charging a lot extra for airport connections (there are interesting ways around these, which I am on principle attempting to do). In fairness, the Verona airport bus is very fast and efficient.
Main entry atrium of Milano Centrale station
Exterior detail of Milano Centrale station
The regional train to Milan Centrale which I took a few days later from Peschiera del Garda (€11) consisted of new rolling stock and picked up about 10 minutes delay. I hopped off at Milan Lambrate to look for a restaurant I had discovered last year (Pizzeria Anthony) which had been refurbished, but it's no longer worth a visit: the food was ok to good, no more, and unimaginative. Later on, the regional train from Milan Centrale up to Domodossola (€10.80) ran with a punctuality that would make the Swiss envious. In Domodossola I stumbled on a celebration for the opening of a new bar in front of the town hall and enjoyed free flowing prosecco and food!
Boarding a regional train at Milano Centrale station
Interior of the regional train from Milan back up to Domodossola
Coming back down to Milan a week later the regional train from Domodossola to Milan Porta Garibaldi picked up about 12 minutes delay, but we arrived only 3 minutes behind schedule. Porta Garibaldi station is a bit complicated, for I had to transfer down to the underground platforms (Sot 1 and Sot 2) for the S train to San Donato Milanese, beside where the Crowne Plaza Milan Linate airport is (see separate review).
New rolling stock and interiors on the train from Domodossola to Milan
Upstairs seating on the same train as in the previous photo
Finishing off my trip back to Bolzano in the Alto Adige (or Bozen in the Südtirol, depending which language you want to speak) I took the train from Milan Centrale to Verona Porta Nuova (modern air conditioned rolling stock) and hopped off at Peschiera del Garda. The station café had the previous week offered me the best cappuccino I had drunk in the last 20 years, but it was not so good this time. It wasn't so bad, though, and I had a cheese and ham toastie and, later on, some of their excellent ice cream. I jumped on the next train to Verona, then caught a crowded regional veloce train to Bolzano which didn't have air conditioning. I snored most of the way to Bolzano which had the advantage of me ending up with several seats free near to where I was sitting!
Arriving at Desenzano del Garda
Station building at Peschiera del Garda