Can I show tickets on my phone on Trenitalia?

Hi lily. Yes, having the info on your phone will work. Actually it doesn't even have to be scanned. As long as you have a way to convey the number to them (printout or phone), that's all the conductor needs. However, one advantage of having a printout is that it will also show the coach and seat number. In case somebody is sitting in your seat by mistake, showing them your printout is an easy / friendly way to communicate this to them. Enjoy your trip!

Yes you can - BUT - I always have a printed copy. Why? My iPhone may be moodier than your phone but every once in a while - usually at the absolutely most inconvenient time and place - it throws a horseshoe and I have no phone for a while as I try to coax it back to life. The Capotreno is not going to wait around while the bright white apple displays on my phone and the reboot takes 10 or 15 minutes.

Then the paper can be flashed....

You probably have a phone that is more stable than mine.

I also take printed copies, but I keep the ticket on my ipad until after its travel date. Sometimes I show the electronic device, sometimes the printed ticket, but I find the printed ticket more dependable and convenient.

lily,

I have the same philosophy as Nigel on this point. Electronic devices can sometimes fail at the most inopportune times (Murphy's Law), and I always prefer to have a hard copy backup. Those who can't produce some form of ticket in a reasonable time frame will be subject to fines, and they're not cheap!

I agree with all the above. I have it all electronically on the ipad and phone, but also paper as a back up. The paper was very handy when someone thought you were in their seat.

Hi,

I just read a book by Tim Parks about riding the rails in Italy, and he encountered one conductor that refused to accept his electronic ticket, because in very very fine print at the bottom of one of the conditions it says "printed receipt". Best to have a printed copy, in my opinion. Buona Fortuna!

Tony

I wouldn't think at Tim Parks's books as a serious source of information about anything except his family life.
Trenitalia's site states that you can show the ticket on an electronic device also on regional trains since 2013; before travelers were required to print regional train tickets, but it's a thing of the past.
For what regards high speed and intercity trains you don't have to print anything, you could write the PNR code on the back of your hand and the conductor wouldn't bat an eye.

The phenomenon that Tim Parks is writing about is called the "pignolo" in Italian. It's usually a person in a civil job who insists on enforcing the law down to the last jot and tittle. They drive most Italians nuts.