Taking trains in Italy

While staying in the charming little town of Orte, Viterbo, Lazio, last month, 83 km by car north of Rome, we visited the eternal city three days by train. We had originally intended to get two hotel rooms in the city, but our rental house’s caretaker told us she uses that train for her daily commute, so that wasn’t necessary. Taking trains in Italy means selecting an operator and buying tickets. We chose Trenitalia, which appeared to have the best connections between Orte and Rome, both in the form of a regional and an intercity service. I bought the tickets online using my phone, which required me to fill out the full names of myself, my wife and my children. There is no anonymous train travelling at Trenitalia, apparently. Orte station platform 5, with very little room to sit down After filling out my email address as well, I could select our seats. I found that in the first class there were four seats facing eachother available with a table in between and a fifth seat directly…