Change Train Times

Allison, there are frequent trains between Pisa Centrale and Florence. If you miss your connection, just take the next one. Assuming it's a regional train, you will be OK taking the next regional train to Florence.

Sometimes the connecting trains are on adjacent platforms, so you literally need to hop off one train and walk across the platform and get on the other one... if it has arrived yet.

I've never changed train in Pisa but I've done plenty of short (less than 10 minutes) changes all over Europe and that is in general nothing to worry about. I've been to stations where the 5 minutes between two trains was 4:30 more than needed. Trains are not like flying where a 30 minute change is short. They are designed like a network with fast an efficient changes between trains.

And if you buy the trip on one ticket it will be protected, so in case of a delay they will make sure you get to Florence.

Are you on trenitalia.com? Assuming you are on the official site, it doesn't show impossible connections. To give you an idea, The official transfer time in Italy's biggest station is 15 minutes.

I don’t see any direct trains for the time frame I want

There are 8 direct trains each day from La Spezia to Firenze. To see them all, you must pick an early hour of departure and put "Firenze (tutte le stazioni)" in the "To" box. The direct trains from La Spezia to Florence Campo di Marte station take 1h and 49 minutes, those to SM Novella 2 hours and 33.

Should I find another train time

You can make 2 separate purchases an opt for a longer transfer time, but if the train out of Pisa is a Regionale it would make no sense. For the reasons explained above by Andrew: "you will be OK taking the next regional train to Florence". So book an earlier train and be ready to take a later one.

navigating to the right train.

Trains are numbered, note down the code of the first Regionales to Florence you can take and look for those codes on the Departures monitors.

Five minutes will be plenty of time. Just look to the board to see which platform you need to go to. Even in the most busy of stations changing trains is quick and easy. OK, Milano Centrale can often be a pain, but typically easy.

Thank you for the advice and replies!! I think I will just go ahead and book this train then. I’m looking at both the Trenitalia and ItaliaRail websites.

The train from Pisa to Firenze SM Novella is a Regional train, so does this mean that I can take another Regional train if we missed it for some reason? Is this at no additional cost, even if I booked under Super Economy or Economy?

Also—if the 2nd train is Regional, does this mean I have to get it validated prior to departure?

I’m looking at both the Trenitalia and ItaliaRail websites.

ItaliaRail is a reseller.

I don't know if they sell tickets from Trenitalia and Italotreno in a single transaction as a through ticket , but be aware that connections between competing companies are not protected.

Is this at no additional cost, even if I booked under Super Economy or Economy?

No additional cost, but you can take only a following regionale train. There are no SuperEcomomy or any other discounted fares on Regionale trains

does this mean I have to get it validated prior to departure?

No, your are getting tickets online and time-stamping them would be pointless.