Having had hundreds upon hundreds of occasions to ride both first and second class on the main Milan/Venice/Bologna triangle lines and to Florence, Rome and Naples over the course of 25 years, I fully agree with the statement "It's rarely worth the extra charge (most of the time)", despite PalenQ's desire to pay extra to be able to have a backpack take up a passenger seat rather than using the correct luggage spaces which are readily available.
I would agree that one of the main advantages to warrent First Class is that usually (though not always) First Class is a slightly quieter, more relaxed journey. During the peak times listed in GAC's second article, particularly Monday mornings, or the first train of the business day, or towards the end of the business day, that may not be the case, with First class full of not so quietly chattering businesspeople and sales reps in touch with the home office or returning calls to clients.
Also, when travelling with large, voluminous baggage, the generally wider roomier spaces and passageways give First Class a slight advantage.
For the rest, on midweek, daytime journeys, rarely do I think First Class is worth the extra cost.

Great information! We are looking to use the Italian train system for the first time during our up-coming trip!

Thank you, GAC & to all others who shared their experiences & thoughts!

despite PalenQ's desire to pay extra to be able to have a backpack take up a passenger seat rather than using the correct luggage spaces which are readily available.>

Well you make it sound like that is the only difference - well three seats in the space of four in second class means, duh bigger seats - and a more leisurely ride.

You could say the same thing about hotels - a Motel 6 can sleep you perfectly well as a Marriott - if sleep is the sole criteria - and you can feed yourself perfectly well at McDonalds too rather than spending all the extra money in a proper restaurant - and Micky D is probably healthier to boot.

One has to wonder why Italians are willing to pay the difference for first class - I guess they mainly are just plain foolish?

I'm glad I saw this post. It's very timely for me, since I'll be in Bologna in 2 weeks taking several trains on day trips. I've already looked at the TrenItalia website and found the trains I'd like to take and planned to buy the tickets a couple days before I needed them.

It's all wonderful if you are satisfied with "perfectly fine" a term I see used a lot by those who are good at rationalizing

I’m travelling with my wife and 3 young children to Italy and will be using 1st class most of the time while traveling between regions, because of 1. More room, 2. Feel slightly safer. I have travelled to Italy solo many times before being married, and did use 2nd class for most of my travels throughout Italy and Europe and found that 2nd class was always packed, One trip I remember was catching the Intercity train 2nd class from Paola to Rome (Paola is a seaside town in Calabria which has the closest train station to my mum and dad’s home town) a 5 and a half hour train ride and it was packed, there were no seats left and they allowed people to stand in the isles which I was one of, the following trains I was told were the same. But 1st class I notices also had all seats full but there was no one standing in the isles and the aircon worked. 2nd class yes is cheaper and so afforded by more people including desperate immigrants all trying to get from place to place trying to find work, then on top of this you throw in backpackers from all walks of life and the general tourists and you get a loud crowded space, this is especially true during the peek periods (April to around October). If you are going to be travelling with your family with young kids I would recommend going 1st class and prebook online before you go as children under a certain age get discounted 1st class prices.

This is a 6-yr-old thread but the topic comes up a lot and like you I always am glad I am in first class. Many here say there is only 'a few inches of seat larger' that is the difference but you spell it out much more than that simply inaccurate view.

I have used the Trentitallia website when buying my tickets.
It is very easy and straight forward to use.
From memory - if you buy tickets 3 months from your required date then a set amount are sold at a discount, and you can get first class tickets at a great price.
They are non refundable. But if you are locked in to dates then this does not matter.
We have always travelled first class, and it was great. You get a snack and a drink, which is not really a big deal but quite nice especially if you are traveling in the summer.
I never use a third party website because they charge an extra fee. always use the direct website.
also you can buy tickets at the train station. Not sure how much of a price difference that would be.

We used First Class on our May trip for travel over three hours and loved it. Also liked the fact that on many of the trains there was room between forward and back-facing seats for our luggage, so we could slip it in right next to us, see it, and not need to heave it up or leave it at the end of the car. I bought all the tickets a few months ahead on the Trenitalia website and it was great! Just showed my phone to the conductors.

>>>2nd class yes is cheaper and so afforded by more people including desperate immigrants all trying to get from place to place trying to find work, <<<

Nonsense. I just took multiple trains in Italy and this sentence is comical. I encountered of none of that.

First, this thread is 6 years old and no longer accurate at all as some of the types of trains listed at the top are no longer in use.

Second, many routes to smaller towns have no class distinction at all, they are all one class.

Third, all the faster trains in Italy (Freccia and intercity) except the ones designated regional (R or RV) are sold with mandatory seat requirements so there are no people standing in aisles no matter the class.

>>>Also liked the fact that on many of the trains there was room between forward and back-facing seats for our luggage,<<<

2nd class is the same. You can put your luggage behind the seat.

It appears that some of the posts (recent and old) are based on years old knowledge and not current and/or accurate. Book the class you want, but don't base it on misinformation.

I recently took a long 1st class train ride (about 5 hours) which was not in the least pleasant. Business men yakking on their phones non-stop. While you can book a silent car on some trains (not available on the Freccibianca I took), I don't think this would work with young children as you wouldn't be able to keep them quiet.

Many folks see a significant difference between 1st and 2nd classes - others do not- some may be validifying previous expectations and others may have only ridden in one class or the other.

It's all very subjective. On the trip of a lifetime IMO and especially with tourists' often too much luggage (definitely more room to store luggage in first class it seems) don't skimp on trains as you would not skimp on hotels (folks pay 150-250 euros a night often it seems try to save every euro on trains for some weird reason IMO)- if you're a local traveling light and frequently that's different.

One thing for sure - first class will NOT be worse than 2nd class but 2nd class could be worse than 1st class.

Meant to add that yes the newest high-speed trains have really nice 2nd class- many other type trains may not so it may depend on what kind of train you are riding. One person's experience may or may not be typical of what is usual.

kybourbon rides trains all the time so I put a lot of credence in her takes though I disagree with her stance that there is 'only a few extra cms of seat size' difference between the classes as she has said often before here (not on this thread).

2nd class on the newer trains is really nice for 2nd class- 1st class is really even nicer if for no reason than there are fewer people in the same-size train car in 1st and to me the most crucial factor are those rows of solo seats- as aisle and a window seat together- two can face each other for couples - that to me is a major difference but to others may be not. I travel solo so it is too me- not being bothered or bothering someone to get in or out of your seat.

And yes in six years things may have changed - either way.

We just last month took a freecia train about four hours from Bari to Rome. We went first class since on the day we bought tickets there was essentially no difference in price. We walked to the second class cars to get a sense of ant differences.

First class was way less crowded, and much quieter because way fewer kids.

That may of course not always be true.

I found the same to be true - fewer small children in 1st class. While 2nd class had them running up and down the aisles.
and 1st class had less people.
I think it is with anything - if you are happy to pay the extra, then 1st class is the way to go, although I would be happy to travel in 2nd class for the shorter trips.

Yes the length of the trip can be crucial.