The overnight train from Venice to Rome

Amber light pooled in the Grand Canal’s black waters as we stepped onto the pontoon in front of Venice’s Santa Lucia station.

At 10:30pm, little more than the odd private water taxi rumbled round the canal’s bends, and it was quiet enough to hear the slosh of waves against the wooden dock. Groups of young people sat on the steps leading up to the station’s entrance, the sweet smell of weed on the breeze, skateboards whacking the ground. Touts sent neon toys spinning into the air, gesturing hopefully toward families milling around with gelato.

Inside the station, shutters were down on all shops and cafes, while travelers crouched in doorways checking phones or paced the concourse watching for changes on the screens.

Restless: that was the feeling as I walked around and glanced up the platforms for headlamps, my five-year-old daughter slung over my shoulder, her godfather wheeling our bags. Restless excitement. The atmosphere was different from daytime, when passengers come and go with a sense of ease and purpose. At this hour, people were waiting, watching, stretching, looking at watches – willing time to pass until they could board and be on their way.  

We were here to take the Intercity Notte service to Rome. With barely one full day to spend in the capital before an onward journey to Palermo, we had decided to save time – and money – by taking the overnight train, which departs just after 11pm and arrives in Rome at 6:30am. During the day, the high-speed Frecciarossa takes four hours to make the 325-mile (525km) journey south, with tickets starting from €150 for two adults and one child traveling in standard class. By contrast, three tickets in a four-person couchette on the sleeper train cost just €10 more – a net savings when factoring in the price of a hotel.

Looking around, I could see that we weren’t the only ones with the same idea. A father and his young son stood nearby with a teddy bear strapped to the back of a wheelie bag, and a family with two under-2s in a double stroller were also piling up their bags. It must surely be easier to manage groggy toddlers in bunk beds than attempt to restrain and entertain them for four hours.

It was a nice idea in theory. But would the journey pan out without a hitch?