Originally Posted by
Graciecatt
That reminds me - if I buy train tickets now for October, say for the last train of the evening (not the overnight train), and we decide the day of travel to take an earlier train the same day, can you do that or would I have to cancel the tickets I would have already purchased and re-buy?
Depends.
Look at the Trentalia web site and start the booking process. For high speed trains (at least) they offer a choice of fares, most expensive being changeable and refundable with I believe a penalty. With the changeable fare being of course quite a bit more expensive.
On Frecciarossa with four classes however, currently it appears the top class, called "executive," is only sold at the top price, changeable etc (called "base"). At twice the price or so of the next highest, "business," changeable. In the past they did have discounted fares, but alas, no more it seems.
"Executive" is very nice though: one seat on each side of the car, total of 8 or 10 seats. Either the first (testa) or the last car (coda). Respectively head, and tail... Typically not very full. Rome to Florence or to Naples, 130 EUR. Also they give you a choice of food and drinks.