Beyond the high-speed spine

Liguria, Levanto to La Spezia

The pass gets you to La Spezia or Levanto for free, but the shuttle between the five villages is sold as a separate card.

Cinque Terre Treno Card, around €19.50 per day in high season

• · The village shuttle runs every 15-20 minutes between Levanto, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore and La Spezia.
• · The Treno Card also covers the coastal footpaths and the village buses, which a normal ticket does not.
• · Corniglia's station sits 380 steps below the village — take the shuttle bus from the station forecourt.
• · Arrive before nine or after five. The middle of the day in July is close to unbearable.

Naples, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Sorrento

The line to Pompeii and Sorrento is run by EAV, a separate regional company. No rail pass of any kind is valid on it.

€2.80 to Pompei Scavi, €4.60 to Sorrento

• · Board at Napoli Garibaldi, downstairs inside Napoli Centrale. Signage is poor — follow signs for EAV, not Trenitalia.
• · The Campania Express is the same route with reserved seats, air conditioning and fewer stops for about €15 return.
• · Get off at Pompei Scavi–Villa dei Misteri for the archaeological site; Pompei station on the national network is the modern town.
• · Trains are crowded and pickpocketing is a real problem on the Sorrento run. Keep bags in front of you.

The islands

Sicilian regional and Intercity trains are fully covered, including the ferried crossing of the Strait. Sardinia has Trenitalia lines but the scenic Trenino Verde is not covered.

Included on Trenitalia lines; Sardinian narrow-gauge is separate

• · The Intercity from Naples is loaded onto a ferry at Villa San Giovanni — the only remaining train ferry of its kind in Europe.
• · Palermo airport to Palermo Centrale on the Trinacria Express is pass-valid, which is unusual for an airport line in Italy.
• · Sicilian regional trains are slow and infrequent. Check the timetable before committing a travel day.
• · In Sardinia the Trenitalia line runs Cagliari–Oristano–Sassari–Olbia. The Trenino Verde tourist railway sells its own tickets.

Bernina, Centovalli, Brenner

Three of the great Alpine railways touch Italy. The Italy Pass covers the Italian side only, up to the border station.

Bernina supplement around CHF 26; Centovalli about €12 for the Swiss half

• · The Bernina Express runs Tirano to St Moritz. The pass covers you to Tirano; the Swiss section needs a Swiss ticket plus a seat supplement.
• · The Centovalli railway from Domodossola to Locarno is stunning and mostly Swiss — expect to pay for the section beyond the border.
• · The Brenner line from Verona to Innsbruck via Bolzano is pass-valid to Brennero station on the Italian side.
• · Milan to Zurich EuroCity services are covered to Chiasso or Domodossola only.

Nationwide

Regional trains need no reservation, so on a pass they are effectively free. These are the ones worth choosing over the fast route.

No reservation fee

• · Genoa to La Spezia: the whole Ligurian coast at sea level, about two hours.
• · Naples to Salerno via Torre Annunziata: Vesuvius on one side, the bay on the other.
• · Verona to Bolzano: vineyards on terraces climbing into the Dolomites.
• · Palermo to Cefalù to Messina: Sicily's north coast, almost entirely along the shoreline.
• · Rome to Orvieto: the Tiber valley and a cliff-top town at the end of it.