The train literally drives onto a ship. At Villa San Giovanni they decouple carriages, shunt them onto a ferry, cross the Strait of Messina in 20 minutes, and continue south.
Build this itinerary →Rome → Catania: Trenitalia Intercity, 9–10h, €45–65. Rome → Palermo: Intercity Notte ~9pm–7am. Couchette €55–75. Both cross on the ferry. The night train to Palermo: fall asleep in Calabria, wake in Sicily.
5 hours in, the train stops at Villa San Giovanni. Workers decouple carriages and push them onto the ferry. Walk to the passenger deck: Etna on the horizon, Calabria behind. 20 minutes. Running since 1899.
Option A: Rome → Naples (1h10, €19–39) → Amalfi Coast → south. Option B: Rome → Salerno → Tropea → ferry → Catania.
Advance fares open 4 months ahead. Rome–Catania Super Economy: €29 vs. €65 at station. Book 4-berth couchette for the night train. Regionals: €3–12 per hop, no reservation needed.
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