If buy a Trenitalia train ticket online, do you print off something to show on the train?

Italo and Trenitalia's high speed trains:conductors ask for the PNR code you received via email; you can show it using an electronic display, a piece of paper, the back of your hand or you can recite the all code by heart if you wish. The usual Trenitalia conductor couldn't care less if you are in the right seat/car and you have a valid PNR code.

Trenitalia's regionale trains: you receive a pdf file with a QR code. Conductors must scan it, either from a print-out or from an electronic display.

However, I would NOT purchase a Regionale Train ticket on-line. The on-line comes with more restrictions than a ticket purchased in the station. Regionale ticket never sell out so no advantage to purchasing on-line. All the other tickets you print at home. Make a couple of copies.

• List item

Our plan is to take the Frecciargento from FCO to Bologna. It is a 3 hour trip, stopping in Rome and Florence. Not sure if this is cnsidered a regional or fast train

List item

No need to print anything anymore if you have a phone or tablet. Either use the Trenit app to buy the tickets in the app or save the PDF file of the ticket on your device and show that (in case you don't have service in Italy, though you should if you have a smart phone - doesn't really cost much). Just make sure you get the PDF of the actual ticket with a bar code.

I agree about not buying regional train tickets too far in advance. However, sometimes there aren't many regional train options on a particular day - for example, the day last May I took regional trains from Venice to Camogli (slower than the high speed trains but same price at the last minute!). I bought the tickets the night before on my phone with Trenit, because there was on specific set of trains I wanted. On days when there's a regional train every hour and I wasn't sure which one I'd be taking, though, it would be better probably to buy at the station from an agent or from a machine, perhaps, if you aren't sure which train.

One advantage of buying regional train tickets with your phone, though: no need to validate them.

Everything with Freccia (arrow) is a high speed train. Only Regionale and Regionale Veloce (all stops and most stops) are regional.

Is the train to Bologna all one train, or is there a change in Rome? I thought that there are only a couple of direct trains a day and that they are EC (Eurocity, not Freccia). Are you sure that you don't change trains at Termini?

Becky,

You mentioned that you'd be travelling from FCO to Bologna. Are you taking the train immediately after arriving at FCO via an international flight? If so, what time does your flight arrive?

You may have to first take a Regionale from FCO to either Roma Termini or Tiburtina, in order to connect with the Freccia. NOTE that locally purchased Regionale tickets MUST be validated prior to boarding the train, or you'll risk hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!

Most of us here don't recommend buying advance tickets to connect with an incoming flight. The tickets for the express trains (ie: Freccia) are specific to train, date and departure time. If you miss the train you've booked, the tickets are worthless and you'll have to buy more at full price (Base fare).

If you wish to buy tickets online for other journeys you'll be making, you might give www.trainline.eu a try, as it's a very user friendly website. I normally print tickets at home, as I prefer to have a "hard copy".

There are 2 trains a day from FCO to Venice, stopping in Rome, Florence, Bologna. and Padua.
Frecciargento 8431/8432 and Frecciargento 8445/8446.
They are considered fast trains with seat reservations required.
If you prebuy SuperEconomy tickets and you miss the train you have bought, for whatever reason (delayed landing, excessive wait time to get through immigration), the tickets becomes worthless and you will have to buy new full fare tickets.

Thank you all for your replies. The train does stop in Rome and Florence, but no change. Looks like there are only a couple of trains a day that go FCO to Bologna- they may very well go on to Venice. We have about 2 hours between our arrival and our desired train. But we know that flights can be delayed or even cancelled. Luckily, we are very familiar with the FCO train station.

And...for the fail-safe, anal-retentive, OCD among us...

I routinely print hard copies of e-tickets, itineraries, etc., and also scan them as pdf's to my phone, in an EMail from my desktop to myself, accessible on my mobile. I have also been known to copy all docs to a flash drive that I keep in my CPAP bag, because that stays with me at all times.

And I tie a string around my index finger...

I always print the PDF, phones have flat batteries. For some train companies (SNCF, Eurostar) you must print the PDF, for Trenitalia it is optional.
Note it is the PDF file attached to the E-mail you need, not the actual e-mail.

If I were buying the tickets at home with a handy printer nearby, sure I'd print the PDF. If not, I wouldn't worry about it - I bought a good number of tickets with my phone on the fly, and I always have a way to charge it if need be (connect to laptop, connect to spare battery, connect to power port on the train, etc.). I guess some people let their phones run down or whatever but I'm quite careful about it myself. And again, if you can, SAVE the ticket (the PDF with a code that can be scanned) to your device, don't just assume you can get it from your email on demand.