Content
Roma / Rome to Villa S. Giovanni by train
How to take a rail journey from Rome/Roma to Villa S. Giovanni and connect into the fast ferries to Sicily
There are two options for taking a 'train' from Rome to Sicily.
(1) Taking the IC and ICN trains which get loaded on a train ferry, so that they continue their journeys on from Messina to Palermo and Siracusa.
(2) Taking a train to the port town of Villa San Giovanni and connecting there for a fast ferry to Messina.
The day and night trains which take the ferry call at Villa S. Giovanni, but trains heading to Reggio di Calabria also call there.
It is these trains heading to Reggio di Calabria, which all have good advertised connections, at Villa S. Giovanni into the fast ferries on to Messina.
However, as will be seen from the options below, there is a wide choice of train services which operate on the route to Reggio di Calabria.
So when looking up a trip on the booking websites factor in the journey time as well as the ticket price.
The longer the rail travel journey time, the cheaper the tickets are likely to be.
The journey times below are for the rail journey from Rome to Villa S. Giovanni, but the end-to-end journey times to Messina are also dependent on the ferry connections, which can range from 10 mins to around an hour.
So look out for the end-to-end journey times, using a combination of the train and ferry timetable (see the links below).
Paying a more expensive price to travel on a faster train, won't be such good value for money if you then have to spend 45mins or more, awaiting the departure of the ferry.
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Routes
Option 1: taking the Frecciargento trains
Journey Summary
4hr 50min - 5hr 5min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Reggio di Calabria
**All trains also call at: Paola and Lamezia Terme
These trains do NOT reverse direction during the journey as they do not call at Napoli Centrale.
The older tilting type of Frecciargento train are used on this route.
4 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save:** Yes
Online bookings open: 4 months ahead of the travel date
The high speed train (AV) service between Roma and Villa S. Giovanni provided by:
(1) these Frecciagento and Frecciarossa trains operated by Trenitalia
(2) alternative Italo trains
Tickets for the Trenitalia Frecce trains are placed on sale around 4 months in advance, but the Italo train tickets are made available around 5 months ahead.
Trenitalia does not sell tickets for the Italo trains - and Italo does not sell tickets for these Trenitalia trains.
Trenitalia now offers bookings which **include both the train and the ferry**.
Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.
If you're booking no more than 4 months ahead and have no particular preference for the train that you will be taking, the price and departure times of the Frecce and Italo trains can be directly compared on Trainline or Omio, though look out for the fact that both of these services will charge a booking fee.
Alternative money saving options:
You can usually save money by avoiding the high speed trains when travelling from Rome to Villa S. Giovanni
When the cheapest 'Super Economy' tickets are still available on the alternative Intercity (IC) trains those trains are usually the cheapest option of all.
Though if you want to compare the price of the Intercity trains with both these Frecce trains AND the Italo trains, you will need to look up the journey on Omio or Trainline.
Rail Pass Users:
If you will be travelling with a valid Eurail or InterRail pass, you will need to reserve prior to boarding these trains, either at the station (using a Trenitalia ticket machine or ticket desk) OR by booking them online.
How to book the rail pass reservations online is included on our guide to using rail passes in Italy.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Italiarail | * | |
| Trenitalia | * | |
| Trainline | * | |
| Omio | * | |
| SaveATrain | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Connecting to the Blu Jet fast ferries:
At Villa S. Giovanni station a straightforward transfer is available into the fast ferries operated by Blu Jet, which take just 20 minutes to make the sea crossing to Messina.
Step on board and experience one of Europe's most beautiful coastal train journeys.
So fabulous that the part of the journey south of Napoli/Naples, which equates to 90% of the trip, has been included on The Guardian's pick of the world's best rail journeys.
There are great coastal views for much of the train journey south of Napoli if you are sat on the right (when facing the direction of travel).
These trains will not reverse direction on departure from Napoli.
Option 2: taking the Frecciarossa trains
Journey Summary
4hr 50min - 5hr 50min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Reggio di Calabria
All trains also call at: Paola and Lamezia Terme
These Frecciariossa trains are the most comfortable option for the rail journey from Roma to Villa S. Giovanni
3 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save:** Yes
Online bookings open: 4 months ahead of the travel date
The high speed train (AV) service between Roma and Villa S. Giovanni provided by:
(1) these Frecciarossa trains, as well as other Frecciargento trains operated by Trenitalia
(2) alternative Italo trains
Tickets for the Trenitalia Frecce trains are placed on sale around 4 months in advance, but the Italo train tickets are made available around 5 months ahead.
Trenitalia does not sell tickets for the Italo trains - and Italo does not sell tickets for these Trenitalia trains.
Trenitalia now offers bookings which **include both the train and the ferry**.
Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.
If you're booking no more than 4 months ahead and have no particular preference for the train that you will be taking, the price and departure times of the Frecce and Italo trains can be directly compared on Trainline or Omio, though look out for the fact that both of these services will charge a booking fee.
Alternative money saving options:
You can usually save money by avoiding the high speed trains when travelling from Rome to Villa S. Giovanni
When the cheapest 'Super Economy' tickets are still available on the alternative Intercity (IC) trains those trains are usually the cheapest option of all.
Though if you want to compare the price of the Intercity trains with both these Frecce trains AND the Italo trains, you will need to look up the journey on Omio or Trainline.
Rail Pass Users:
If you will be travelling with a valid Eurail or InterRail pass, you will need to reserve prior to boarding these trains, either at the station (using a Trenitalia ticket machine or ticket desk) OR by booking them online.
How to book the rail pass reservations online is included on our guide to using rail passes in Italy.
If you have a First Class pass, SMTJ's recommendation is to target these trains and not the Frecciargento trains
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trenitalia | * | |
| Italiarail | * | |
| Trainline | * | |
| Omio | * | |
| SaveATrain | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
The train which is usually scheduled to depart Rome at around 17:50 is fastest because it does not divert off the direct route to call Napoli Centrale station.
The other two departures do call there and they will reverse direction on departure.
Connecting to the Blu Jet fast ferries:
At Villa S. Giovanni station a straightforward transfer is available into the fast ferries operated by Blu Jet, which take just 20 minutes to make the sea crossing to Messina.
Though it's a journey of two halves because between Roma and Salerno, these trains will be travelling on the high speed line.
The spectacular coastal views kick in shortly after departure from Salerno.
They're so fabulous that the part of the journey south of Salerno, which equates to 90% of the trip, has been included on The Guardian's pick of the world's best rail journeys.
To make the most of those views on these trains, you'll need to hope that your reserved seat will be on the right-hand side of the train, as you head south of Salerno - because that side of the train will face the coast.
The first two departures of the day reverse direction in Napoli, so when boarding in Rome, hope that your seats will be on the left.
Option 3: taking the Italo trains
Journey Summary
5hr 20min - 5hr 50min (approx
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Reggio di Calabria
All trains also call at: Paola and Lamezia Terme
3 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 5 months ahead of the travel date
The high speed (AV) train service between Roma and Villa S. Giovanni is provided by
(1) these Italo trains
(2) Frecce trains operated by Trenitalia
Tickets for the Trenitalia Frecce trains are placed on sale around 4 months in advance, but the Italo train tickets are made available around 5 months ahead.
Trenitalia does not sell tickets for the Italo trains - and Italo does not sell tickets for the Trenitalia trains.
Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day - so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.
If you're booking no more than 4 months ahead and have no particular preference for the train that you will be taking, the price and departure times of the Frecce and Italo trains can be directly compared on Trainline or Omio, though look out for the fact that both of these services will charge a booking fee.
Rail passes are not valid on the Italo trains.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Italo | * | |
| Trainline | * | |
| Omio | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
The train which is usually scheduled to depart Rome at around 18:30 is fastest because it does not divert off the direct route to call Napoli Centrale station.
The other two departures do call there and they will reverse direction on departure.
Connecting to the Blu Jet fast ferries:
At Villa S. Giovanni station a straightforward transfer is available into the fast ferries operated by Blu Jet, which take just 20 minutes to make the sea crossing to Messina.
These Italo take the same routes (via Napoli Centrale and direct) as the Frecce trains.
Option 4: taking the Intercity trains
Journey Summary
6hr 45min - 7hr 45 min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Palermo/Siracusa or Reggio di Calabria
All trains also call at: Paola and Lamezia Terme
5 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 3 months ahead of the travel date
Take these Intercity trains from Roma to Villa S. Giovanni and you can usually save at least €20 in comparison to taking the faster Frecce or Italo trains.
Though if you want to easily compare prices with both of these services, you will need to look up this journey on the Trainline or Omio websites.
Using Rail passes:
If you will be travelling in Italy with a rail pass you can save €10 in rail pass reservation fees by taking these trains and not the Frecce trains.
Though if you'll want the peace of mind of being able to remain in the same seat for the entire journey, paying the optional €3 reservation fee is virtually essential.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trenitalia | from €19.90 | |
| Italiarail | from €19.90 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Connecting to the Blu Jet fast ferries:
At Villa S. Giovanni station a straightforward transfer is available into the fast ferries operated by Blu Jet, which take just 20 minutes to make the sea crossing to Messina.
Despite the train travel time being longer, the connecting time between train and ferry can be quicker than the other travel options, so keep the total travel time to Messina front of mind when looking up journey options by these Intercity trains.
Though combinations of the high speed trains and the ferry will always be faster.
All of these trains reverse direction on departure from Napoli Centrale.
Take food and drink with you on this journey, there are no on-board catering facilities available on Intercity trains.
Step on board and experience one of Europe's most beautiful coastal train journeys.
So fabulous that the part of the journey south of Napoli/Naples, which equates to 90% of the trip, has been included on The Guardian's pick of the world's best rail journeys.
There are great coastal views for much of the train journey south of Napoli if you are sat on the right (when facing the direction of travel).
These trains WILL reverse direction on departure from Napoli.
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