Getting There

By Plane

High season on most airlines' routes to Rome is usually June to the beginning of September. This is the most expensive and crowded time to travel. Shoulder season is April and May, early September to October, and December 15 to 24. Low season is November 1 to December 14 and December 25 to March 31.

From North America -- Fares to Italy are constantly changing, but you can expect to pay somewhere in the range of $550 to $1,580 for a direct round-trip ticket from New York to Rome in coach class.

Flying time to Rome from New York, Newark, and Boston is 8 hours; from Chicago, 10 hours; and from Los Angeles, 12 1/2 hours. Flying time to Milan from New York, Newark, and Boston is 8 hours; from Chicago, 9 1/4 hours; and from Los Angeles, 11 1/2 hours.

American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com) offers daily nonstop flights to Rome from Chicago's O'Hare, with flights from all parts of American's vast network making connections into Chicago. Delta (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com) flies from New York's JFK to Milan, Venice, and Rome, and from Atlanta to Rome and Milan. AmericaWest/US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usairways.com) offers one flight daily to Rome out of Philadelphia (you can connect through Philly from most major U.S. cities). And Continental (tel. 800/525-0280; www.continental.com) flies five times a week to Rome and Milan from its hub in Newark.

Air Canada (tel. 888/247-2262; www.aircanada.ca) flies daily from Toronto to Rome. Two of the flights are nonstop; the others touch down en route in Montréal, depending on the schedule.

British Airways (tel. 800/AIRWAYS; www.british-airways.com), Virgin Atlantic Airways (tel. 800/821-5438; www.virgin-atlantic.com), Air France (tel. 800/237-2747; www.airfrance.com), Northwest/KLM (tel. 800/225-2525; www.nwa.com), and Lufthansa (tel. 800/645-3880; www.lufthansa-usa.com) offer some attractive deals for anyone interested in combining a trip to Italy with a stopover in, say, Britain, Paris, Amsterdam, or Germany.

Alitalia (tel. 800/223-5730; www.alitalia.com) is the Italian national airline, with nonstop flights to Rome from different North American cities, including New York (JFK), Newark, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Washington, and Toronto. Nonstop flights into Milan are from New York (JFK) and Newark. From Milan or Rome, Alitalia can easily book connecting domestic flights if your final destination is elsewhere in Italy. Alitalia participates in the frequent-flier programs of other airlines, including Continental and US Airways.

From the United Kingdom -- Operated by the European Travel Network, www.discount-tickets.com is a great online source for regular and discounted airfares to destinations around the world. You can also use this site to compare rates and book accommodations, car rentals, and tours. Click on "Special Offers" for the latest package deals.

British newspapers are always full of classified ads touting slashed fares to Italy. One good source is Time Out. London's Evening Standard has a daily travel section, and the Sunday editions of almost any newspaper run many ads. Although competition is fierce, one well-recommended company that consolidates bulk ticket purchases and then passes the savings on to its consumers is Trailfinders (tel. 0845/058-5858; www.trailfinder.com). It offers access to tickets on such carriers as SAS, British Airways, and KLM.

Both British Airways (tel. 0870/850-9850 in the U.K.; www.britishairways.co.uk) and Alitalia (tel. 0870/544-8259; www.alitalia.it) have frequent flights from London's Heathrow to Rome. British Airways also has one direct flight a day from Manchester to Rome. Bargain fares are offered by smaller carriers flying from the British Isles to Italy. Easyjet (tel. 08712/442366; www.easyjet.com) flies into Rome from London, as does Ryanair (tel. 0818/303030; www.ryanair.com).

By Train

If you plan to travel heavily on the European rails, you'll do well to secure the latest copy of the Thomas Cook European Timetable of Railroads. It's available online at www.thomascooktimetables.com.

Electric trains have made travel between France and Italy faster and more comfortable than ever. France's TGVs travel at speeds of up to 298km (185 miles) per hour and have cut travel time between Paris and Turin from 7 to 5 1/2 hours, and between Paris and Milan from 7 1/2 to 6 3/4 hours. Italy's ETRs travel at speeds of up to 233km (145 miles) per hour and currently run between Milan and Lyon (5 hr.), with a stop in Turin. From Milan, a train leaves for Rome every hour, taking 4 1/2 hours.

Italian Rail Passes -- If you'll be traveling beyond Rome by rail, you'll need to know a bit about the Italian train system. As a rule of thumb, second-class travel usually costs about two-thirds the price of an equivalent first-class trip. A couchette (a private fold-down bed in a communal cabin) requires a supplement above the price of first-class travel. Children ages 4 to 11 receive a discount of 50% off the adult fare, and children 3 and under travel free with their parents.

The Trenitalia Pass (www.trenitalia.it) offers 3 days of rail travel in 2 months, costing $219 in first class or $175 in second class, with additional rail days going for $28 and $23, respectively. Travel days may be used consecutively or nonconsecutively.

There are two other versions of this pass offered, including the Trenitalia Pass Saver, costing $187 in first class or $149 in second class and valid for 3 days of travel in 2 months, with additional days going for $24 and $19, respectively. This pass requires a minimum of two persons traveling together at all times.

Trenitalia Pass Youth, costing $147 in second class (3 days in 2 months), is the way to go for those under 26 years old. Additional rail days cost $19 on this pass.

The Italy Rail 'n Drive pass is good for any 4 days of unlimited train travel and 2 days in a Hertz car rental with unlimited mileage. You get a choice of three car categories with manual transmission or one car category with automatic transmission. In this deal, two adults in first class pay $676 for a compact car or $564 in second class.

With each of the special passes, a supplement must be paid to ride on certain rapid trains, designated ETR-450 or Pendolino trains. The rail systems of Sardinia are administered by a separate entity and aren't included in the Railpass or any of the other passes.