A platform at Firenze Santa Maria Novella, where trains for Rome depart a short walk from the Duomo.
Photo: Tubantia / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)Florence to Rome by Train
A domestic route within Italy.
Reviewed by Eurotraintrip on 2026-07-30
- Duration
- 1h 22m – 1h 50m
- Price from
- 14.9 EUR
- Distance
- 261 km
- Operators
- Trenitalia FrecciarossaTrenitalia FrecciargentoItalo
- Frequency
- Around 30 direct Italo departures a day alone, plus Trenitalia's Frecciarossa and Frecciargento on the same shared Milan-Naples mainline - one of Italy's highest-frequency corridors in either direction
Compare and book Florence–Rome tickets
Check pricesWhat makes Florence to Rome different
- The Direttissima's 254km route is threaded with 30 tunnels totalling about 77km - nearly a third of the entire line - including the 7,390m Castiglione Tunnel, the first tunnel of its size bored anywhere with a closed-shield TBM.
- During test running on this line, the prototype ETR 500-X, nicknamed 'Remo', reached 319 km/h - well above the 250 km/h operating speed of today's regular Frecciarossa services.
- The older, 315km route this line replaced - via Terontola, completed in 1866 and still referred to internally as the 'Linea Lenta' (slow line) - is 61km longer than the Direttissima and remains in use for regional and freight trains running roughly parallel to the high-speed route.
Florence station
Departs from Firenze Santa Maria Novella, built 1932-1936 by the Gruppo Toscano design collective led by Giovanni Michelucci - one of Italian Rationalism's landmark buildings, faced in the same pietra forte stone as the adjoining Basilica di Santa Maria Novella and named after that church.
Rome station
Arrives at Roma Termini, Italy's busiest station by a wide margin - about 150 million passengers and roughly 850 train movements a day. Its modernist 1950s facade on Piazza dei Cinquecento was completed in 1950-51; a fragment of the 4th-century BC Servian Wall, unearthed in 1876-78 during construction of the station's 19th-century predecessor, is still on display today inside a McDonald's on the lower level.
Train vs. other options
No airline runs scheduled Florence-Rome flights - at just 261km the distance is far too short for that market to exist. Driving the A1 costs around EUR 20 in tolls one-way and covers the same distance in about 2.5-3 hours, but Rome then blocks unauthorized cars from the historic center on weekdays (ZTL rules run roughly 6:30am-6pm, with fines of EUR 100-400 for violators) - one more reason the roughly 1.5-hour center-to-center train is the default choice for this pair.
Booking tips
- Check whether your train departs from Firenze Santa Maria Novella or Firenze Campo di Marte - some Frecciarossa services use the latter, about 1.5km from the center, to save roughly 10 minutes in transit.
- Book 4-8 weeks ahead for the cheapest Super Economy (Trenitalia) or Low Cost (Italo) fare bracket - on a 1.5-hour trip the spread between advance and walk-up prices can be 3-4x.
- Compare Trenitalia and Italo directly rather than committing to one app - fares and exact departure times differ enough on this frequently-served corridor that the cheapest option changes by time of day.
Good to know: Some Frecciarossa services on this route stop only at Firenze Campo di Marte, about 1.5km east of the center, rather than Santa Maria Novella - the roughly 10 minutes it saves in transit is usually outweighed by the extra 20-25 minutes needed to reach central Florence, so check which station your ticket actually departs from before booking based on price alone.
While you're in Rome
The Colosseum, Rome's best-known ancient landmark and now a mandatory timed-entry site.
Photo: Diliff / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)Rome's historic center is compact enough to cover on foot from Roma Termini, but its two must-see sites - the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums - now sell out weeks ahead in peak season, so the planning starts before you even book the train.
Full Rome travel guide →Frequently asked questions
How long does the train from Florence to Rome take?
The fastest Frecciarossa and Italo trains cover the roughly 261km in about 1h22m-1h30m. Services with extra stops can take closer to 1h50m.
How much does the train from Florence to Rome cost?
Fares start around EUR 14.90 for advance-purchase Italo tickets in standard class; Trenitalia's cheapest Super Economy fares are similarly priced.
Does my train leave from Firenze Santa Maria Novella or Campo di Marte?
Most Frecciarossa and Italo trains use Santa Maria Novella in the center, but some Frecciarossa services depart from Firenze Campo di Marte instead - check your ticket's departure station, not just the time.