Mon · July 27 — arrival day
Florence Airport → LuccaBuy day-of
Regional · ~80 min
Tram/shuttle from the airport to Firenze S.M.N., then the regional to Lucca. Fixed price — buy in the Trenitalia app when you land. Trains roughly hourly.
Wed · July 29 — birthday travel day
Lucca → Firenze S.M.N.Buy day-of
Regional · ~80 min
Morning departure to open the Florence window. Fixed price, Trenitalia app. Bags to left-luggage at S.M.N. on arrival.
Firenze S.M.N. → Bologna CentraleBooked ✓
Frecciarossa 9426 · Super Economy
17:20Firenze S.M.N.→17:58Bologna Centrale
PNR ZW7MDNCoach 3 · Seats 1A · 1B · 2A · 2B€101.80
Super Economy fare — no changes/refunds, so don't miss it. Be back at S.M.N. by ~16:50 to collect bags.
Thu · July 30 — Emilia food day
Modena → Parma then Parma → BolognaBuy day-of
Regional · ~30 min + ~55 min
Driver drops you at Modena Centrale after the cheese tour (~10:15). Both legs fixed-price regionals, frequent all day — buy in the app when you know your timing.
Sat · Aug 1 — the big move south
Bologna Centrale → Napoli CentraleBooked ✓
Frecciarossa 9607 · Economy
08:07Bologna Centrale→11:38Napoli Centrale
PNR ZW6EZNCoach 4 · Seats 11A · 11B · 12A · 12B€259.80
Checkout is 10AM but the host stores luggage — this early train means bags come with you instead. Breakfast on board.
Napoli P. Garibaldi → SorrentoBooked ✓
Campania Express · reserved seats
14:26Napoli P. Garibaldi→15:35Sorrento
Ticket ref 518460Carrozza 2 · Posti 32–35€100 round trip (all 4)
Garibaldi is the lower level beneath Napoli Centrale — down the escalators, follow EAV/Circumvesuviana signs.
🍕 The Naples pizza window
Arrive 11:38, depart 14:26 — nearly three hours in Naples with the bags. That's lunch at
L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele (~10 min walk, cash only) where pizza was born, or the food hall upstairs in Centrale if the line's wild. Best "layover" of the trip.
Mon · Aug 3 — Pompeii, then Rome
Sant'Agnello/Sorrento → Pompei ScaviBuy day-of
Circumvesuviana regional · ~25–30 min
Catch a ~7:45–8:00 departure to make the 9:00 Pompeii entry. A few euros each, no reservations — station machines or the GoEAV app.
Sorrento line → Napoli P. GaribaldiBooked ✓
Campania Express · return half of ref 518460
10:20departs Sorrento→11:34Napoli P. Garibaldi
Carrozza 2 · Posti 43–46 (as reserved — see note below)
⚠️ The 10:20 vs. Pompeii timing — the plan
The reserved 10:20 return passes Pompei mid-morning — while we're still inside the ruins (entry 9:00, out ~12:00). The Campania Express ticket is
hop-on/hop-off, so the move is: board a
later Campania Express at Pompei Scavi (early-afternoon run) using the same ticket — reserved seats won't apply on a different train, but the ticket is valid. Check the day's Express timetable the night before; if no run lands between ~12:15–1:15, the
regular Circumvesuviana from Pompei (every ~30 min, ~35 min ride) is the fallback. Either way: be at Napoli Centrale by
~14:30 for the Rome train.
Napoli Centrale → Roma TerminiBooked ✓
Frecciarossa 9428 · Economy
15:10Napoli Centrale→16:20Roma Termini
PNR ZW73DNCoach 2 · Seats 3A · 3B · 4A · 4B€151.80
Garibaldi (lower level) up to the main Centrale concourse takes 15–20 min with bags — platforms post ~10 min before departure.
Wed · Aug 5 — Orvieto day trip
Roma Termini ⇄ OrvietoBuy day-of
Regional · ~75 min each way
Direction Firenze/Chiusi. Depart Termini ~8:50–9:00am — the cave tour is booked for 11:15 with an 11:00 check-in at Piazza Duomo, and the funicular + walk take ~25 min from the Orvieto station. Fixed price, no reservations — Trenitalia app both ways.
Thu · Aug 6 — fly home
Roma Termini → Fiumicino AirportBuy day-of
Leonardo Express · ~32 min · every 15 min
€14/adult (kids under 12 free with a paying adult). Leave the apartment ~6:45 for the 10:10 flight. Buy in-app the night before or tap at the machines — never sells out.