Printed Tickets

Can't answer about requirement for printed tickets but a fair amount of us print out our tickets as a backup in case something unfortunate happens to the phone.

All of the tours that I've done have used mobile ticketing. However, we always bring printed backups just in case.

I have done that as well - just don’t want to fail to print the one thing that’s required. So many tickets for soo many things!

So many tickets for soo many things!

That means that you're going to have a ton of fun! :O)

Unless you can cite a source no one can say for sure, but I don't see how they could enforce this since they allow to buy a ticket electronically up to 10 minutes before a train departs. You can literally be on the train platform, or on the train itself, when you buy the ticket so requiring a print-out makes no sense. It even seems like they are trying to get rid of the old paper tickets themselves but too many people live without cell phones to make this a reality.

As long as they can scan a QR code that's all I've ever seen them care about. On the fast trains if you check in on the app and are in the right seat they don't even scan your ticket. If there was that provision I think it was probably attached to time before smart phones, train apps and QR codes.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

Unless something has changed recently, you can not buy a Trenitalia ticket (I don't know about Italo tickets) after boarding the train. You can't even do it while standing on the platform within 5 minutes of the scheduled departure time. The website and the app will not allow you to complete the purchase after you pass the 5-minute deadline. If you hop on a train without paying for the ticket you're trying to buy, you are subject to a fine of at least 50 euros on top of the ticket cost.

You must buy tickets with 5 minutes of the departure time - I said 10 minutes but I might be remembering the ticket machines in the station. Or maybe I am misremembering altogether because it was only an issue once, but there is a hard time limit.

When they introduced electronic ticket buying you could buy tickets for the train more liberally. Which was great because if a train was late and you could get on it, you could then buy a ticket for that train. But they unfortunately changed that.

But my point was they can’t sell you a ticket six minutes before the train leaves and then insists that you printed out somehow while standing in the station.

-Tod

We have not carried paper tickets in 3 years now. Then;ast time I did so was for — of all things — Amtrak! Our time in Europe has been paperless 100%.

you can not buy a Trenitalia ticket (I don't know about Italo tickets) after boarding the train.

In fact you can: going directly when on board to the ticket inspector and tell him that you haven't the ticket. A surcharge of 5€ is usually applied.

I was told back in 2023 that is no longer possible and the fine (on a regional train) would be 50 euros. It was a ticket inspector on a train headed to Anzio who set me straight.

oof I'm glad that I was still able to buy on my trip from Verona to Peschiera del Garda in 2019!

We bought our tickets for the afternoon train when we arrived in Verona in the morning, opting for a cheaper 2nd class ticket instead of the 5-10 euro more for first class....we were VERY early for the train that afternoon around 6pm which was also ready at the station. Not thinking, we just hopped on with our luggage and found a seat. 5 min after the train left the station, we saw some kids rush through from a VERY crowded car saying "biglietto" (because they were running away from the inspectors that had just entered their car) and my brain FREAKED OUT realizing the very crowded car was the 2nd class and we had the wrong tickets. As SOON as she got into our car, me and another lady went and apologized profusely and she told us to go sit down and only made us pay for the difference in fare when she made her way to us through the car. I was SO THANKFUL. A train fine was not the way I would have wanted to arrive at Lake Garda....

I was just so ashamed because I knew better but my brain was not even paying attention....

I had all my trenitalia tickets printed out for the freccias on paper just in case that trip....