I spend four hours exploring the ruins of the old city of Pompeii, which was destroyed in 79 A.D. when Vesuvius erupted. The remains of the city have been painstakingly unearthed and restored. I think I’m also lucky to have visited in the winter. While there are tourists around, the place is not too crowded.
Returning to Napoli Centrale
I return to Pompeii Scavi station to catch a suburban train back to Napoli Garibaldi. I’m curious about the history of this railway, which runs all the way from Napoli to Sorrento. Half the stations along the way are either shut down or look as though they’re enough of a safety hazard to warrant shutting them down. And the rolling stock looks as though it belongs a) in a transport museum, b) an art museum, or c) the scrapyard.
The Freccia Lounge Napoli Centrale
At Napoli Centrale I head up to ground level to the main concourse. And then from there, I head one floor up to the Freccia Lounge.
Access to the lounge is by scanning the bar code on your ticket. The lounge itself is a bit strange in that it’s a rather huge space and scarcely furnished. I’m also the only one there. I’m guessing it’s likely busier during the week. The lounge has a self service bar with hot and cold drinks and a variety of sweet and savoury biscuits.
Boarding
Boarding for the train starts at 18h10 for the 18h30 departure. The train’s final stop is Milano Centrale, with a stop in Rome and then Bologna en route. As the train originates in Napoli Centrale, it’s punctual in departing. The service today is operated by the same train composition that Trenitalia uses on its Paris-Lyon-Torino-Milano route.
The Cabin & Seat
There are three cabin classes on the Frecciarossa services. Second Class, Business Class and Executive Class. In Executive Class complimentary food and drinks are served at your seat. It’s basically like what the TGV has in its Business First cabin.
Just behind the entrance to the cabin is a small compartment that can be booked for meetings. There are seats for five persons and it is possible to connect your laptop to the video screen. Behind the meeting room is the passenger cabin. There are five rows of seats in a 1 + 1 configuration. The seats are covered in leather and the pitch is ridiculous. The seat has a good recline and there’s also a footrest for better support. It’s a very plush seat that has me convinced I need to try the Frecciarossa service from Paris – presto!
The Service & Crew
Of course, the fact that it’s just me and the better half in the entire carriage certainly further enhances the experience. There is one cabin attendant in charge of the Executive Class cabin. She welcomes us aboard and tells us to sit wherever we want. Once we depart, she asks what we’d like to drink. I have a sparkling water. She then brings out the menu, which is quite impressive and includes a nice selection of hot and cold snacks and full meals. It’s like being in a restaurant! As I have a reservation for dinner in Rome, I just ask for the beetroot hummus, which is nice and spicy. The service is quick and efficient. Once I’m done, the attendant clears everything away and asks if she can get me anything else. But I’m too exhausted and just nod off to sleep until we reach Termini.
Arrival in Rome
We arrive in Rome five minues ahead of schedule. The Italian railways plan their schedules with a generous amount of padding, mainly because passengers are entitled to full compensation if they arrive with a delay of at least fifteen minutes.
Conclusion
Well, that was nice. In comparison to Italo, the Frecciarossa product is far superior in the sense that the experience and the service is a lot more polished. Although I will say that the Italo lounge in Termini was nicer. The service offered on both Italo and the Frecciarossa is competitive and can certainly keep up with anything an airline could offer on a similar route. The advantage of the train, of course, is that you don’t have to travel all the way to and from the airport. It doesn’t more central than Termini in Rome.
As you say William, the Freccia service is rather better than italo————— i travelled on a service with older style seats . The new seats look excellent——– and the fares are a bargain compared to walk on UK fares.
I was in the UK recently. The trains really are rather expensive. Although I do think they’ve improved quite a bit recently in terms of punctuality.
PS—– I see your’e flying back to Zurich With ITA——– Your’e flight down from Brusells wasnt great, so i’m surprised that you have chosen to prolong the agony!. Give me SWISS every time—–NEVER had a bad flight with them.
I’m not a big fan of the Lufthansa Group, although I will say that SWISS is probably the best one of the lot. And I kind of like AZ. Not sure what will happen though now that they’re joining Lufthansa.
Austrian does have better food, though I guess Swiss is better overall?
Meh, on short-haul OS doesn’t have better food, I’d say. On long-haul they’re perhaps a bit better.
Havent flown with ITA and my last flights[5or 6] with AZ were in First[yes!] and most were pretty bad.
WHICH included a steward giving me a hand written list of zurich nightclubs that might appeal[!!!], and a stewardess who unlocked the drinks to give me a supply of a particularly nice Swiss red while we were held in a 30 minute queue at Heathrow. There was also the time when a stewardess[ on an LCY flight] actually said” the captain refuses to land until you have finished the bottle!——– try finding that on Lufthansa, who i find predictable but DULL——- and then there is the frightening joke that is ‘Allegris’
Good to know this route has 2 good services of train, even if one is better than the other.
I was a [young] teenager at the time——- and i thought that going with AZ would be more interesting than flying with dull old BA—— Big mistake. The Minute you sat down in First on a BA european flight, Drinks[anything] magazines, papers were offered. Really very good considered service which other airlines couldnt really replicate[exceptions Swissair and lufthansa]. One Az flight in !980 that i took was AZ 267 to milan——- was on my way to Venice[Fantastic room in the Europa and Regina overlooking the grand canal and directly opposite the church Santa maria della something!] No catering,Well worn DC9 and Farrah Fawcett majors, in the seat behind!!!