I went to Rome for the first time last month and spent my entire trip gobsmacked by the beauty of…read morethe city. When we went to Stazione Termini to catch the Frecciarossa to Florence, I figured we were in for another grand architectural marvel. It was almost a relief to find an ugly modern train station, built in the 1940s, with a utilitarian, vaguely dingbat/carceral aesthetic.
Termini is Rome's main train station, and apparently the fifth-busiest in all of Europe. It was pretty bustling both times we were there, on a Tuesday and Thursday in November. I imagine it gets crowded during peak tourist season.
Our high-speed train ran on time and was definitely the best way to get to Florence and back. We spent minimal time in the station itself, but it seemed like a lively, functional place, with a lot of shops and restaurants. Termini may not be a seminal Roman landmark, but it's clearly an essential part of life in Rome.