Train help for freeform trip - Rome to Milan

What, exactly, are your train trips going to be? You could have done much better with advance-purchase tickets online from Trenitalia.com (click on the English flag at top of page; use Italian spellings for city names), but there are still some cheaper tickets left...I would suggest buying point-to-point vs railpass, anyway. Definitely go to RonInRome to learn how to buy tickets from kiosks! (click on 'Transportation/Train Travel in Italy', then scroll down to 'Buying Train Tickets - Using a Kiosk'). If you know your plans for your next trip while buying your current tickets, you can buy both at the same time, thus saving time and probably a bit of money.

If you are just hopping your way north from Rome, you probably only need to use regional trains. They are inexpensive, have no reserved seating, and only go on sale within 7 days of departure. Way cheaper than a rail pass. You just validate your ticket at the machine on the platform, and hop on.

Eileen - Thanks for the info. I don't know exactly when I'll be traveling to which city, which is why I can't really buy my tickets in advance. Sam - What is the name of the regional trains? Can I buy these tickets from a kiosk too? Thanks!

Regionale = regional trains; if you read all the way through Ron's tutorial (yes, I realize it's very long but very thorough!), you'll see how - and where - you can purchase them. They are denoted by an 'R', as opposed to IC, AV, ES... Be sure to validate them ('convalida') in the yellow boxes (shown by Ron's tutorial) if you weren't asked for seat assignments!

The yellow boxes are being replaced by gray/blue ones. You can buy all types of train tickets from kiosks, if your credit card doesn't work you can use euro, the machine will give change up to €20. The regionale trains are very cheap. Have a great freedom trip!

Thanks everyone!