The steps are steep and narrow and difficult to climb up with heavy luggage. There is only space for about six large bags at one end of each carriage and if your bag is at the bottom then everyone loads their bags on top of yours and if you need to get off first buonanotte!! - then you have lift them all off in a hurry as you will be blocking the exit from the carriage. At the end of a train trip I am always exhausted.
The only solution is to pack really light - winter is easier because one does not sweat as much so clothes can be worn for longer. The new lightweight fabrics can be rolled into small packages. But then in winter one has to bring a heavy coat, scarf and jumpers and a woman gets tired of wearing the same woollen jumper and the same big coat. We need variety no? Especially when the Italian women always look so glamorous with all that hair and style.
Summer is more difficult as it gets very hot and humid in italy in so one has to change every day so washing becomes a premium. This is one of the advantages of staying in an apartment versus a hotel. With all my my trips to italy I have experimented with different sizes of luggage and the older I get the lighter I am forced to pack.
Don't even attempt to wear anything white in Italy as it will only be able to be worn one day. In winter I find black clothes to be the best as they do not show the dirt. Anything public like chairs and benches as well as buses and trains are very dirty and dusty and any light coloured pants or shoes are often marked quickly so they are not practical. When you pack your clothes, think of the weight hauling it up six flights of stairs and this will soon bring you to your senses.
