What does 'Go' fare in Trenitalia mean?

Question

Do we need to have some pass / card to purchase a ticket with the 'GO' fare or is it open to all tourists?

I cannot see AMICA fares for the night train, are they not applicable?

Answer 1

The Amica fare is available on some night trains here in Italy. There are berths and seats available on the night train tomorrow night between Naples and Venice, for example. There are a couple of points to note: the fare is not available more than 60 days in advance of the day you want to go, and not available after the midnight of the day before you want to go. There are a limited number of seats on any given train at the Amica fare; they often sell out fast. Amica fares apply only to AV, ES, EScity, ICplus, IC, ICN, and EXP trains. Amica fares are not applicable to international trains (but there may be a "Smart" fare that is similar).

If you click on the "Tariff Information" link to the right of where you select the fare type on the trenitalia website, you get the discription of all the fare types. This is what it says about GO fares: "Fare with limited availability that can be bought only for persons of 12 years and older. On the day trains, it can be bought for both first and second class. On night trains it can be bought for overnight travel accommodation in 4- or 6-place couchettes. Can be bought until 7 days before train's departure." There's also a GO fare type that applies to children 4 to 12 years old. There do not appear to be any restrictions like a Cartaviaggio tied to this option.

When Cartaviaggio was introduced there were different options that were targeted to different age groups. Two of the options were Cartaviaggio Smart and Cartaviaggio Relax. There's now just the generic card and a business version. The Smart fares that show up are not related to the card - they're open to everyone. I book smart fares on the Venice to Paris route when I go (if available) and don't have a card. I live closer to Verona, but usually go to Venice or Padova and pick up the train to get the extra sleep time en route.