[riprowan]

> perpetually delayed, dirty and overcrowded

The regional service deserves this reputation because it has been neglected for years as Trenitalia built the Frecce but I think if you return to Italy you'll be pleasantly surprised, as Trenitalia has been quietly upgrading the regional trains to newer, double-decked cars (almost 2x capacity) and from personal anecdotal experience the ontime service seems better than it used to be, as well.

Obviously YMMV depending on what region you're in, the time of day, etc. but there's definitely been improvement on the regional front.