train from Milan to Bolzano- need to purchase in advance?

It is always wise to wait til you land to purchase onward train tix
Flights are often delayed, impossible to predict how long passport control will take etc

You will be taking a fast train Milan to Verona then change to another fast train to Bolzano
Or a regional from Verona to Bolzano your choice

The Malpensa Express tix can’t sell out
There are many fast trains from Milan to Bolzano-not likely to sell out
Regional trains can’t sell out and price never changes

If you purchase a fast train ticket in advance at a discount and miss that train you lose the money
If you wait til arrival you will pay Base Rate

You might take a look at the schedule on Trenitalia so you are familiar with the train times that day
Once you land and are thru passport and have your luggage use the app to purchase your tickets
Or simply go to a kiosk or window and purchase there
You can purchase the entire journey at that time

The Malpensa Express takes about an hour to Milano Centrale so make sure you allow time for that and to find your way to your track for your fast train to Verona ( 30 minutes is more than enough)

You do not need to buy in advance. The advantage of buying in advance is to get a discounted price on a nonrefundable ticket, which you really do not want to do if you are coming off an intercontinental flight, which I assume you are.

I also am trying to figure out the train options from Milan to Bolzano in early October but not on my international arrival day.
On the Trenitalia web site, there are several Bolzano stations. Do I want Bolzano-Bozen if I will transfer to the bus to Ortisei?
Am i correct that Trenord is the regional train?
It looks to me like the non-refundable advance purchase fast trains only save less than 30 minutes and, at best savings, cost about the same as the regional train. Does this sound right or am I misreading something?

You want Bolzano Bozen

Yes

And sounds about right
Quite often the regional choice is about same length as a fast train
The only difference is having a reserved seat versus not

Thank you ChristineH.