Train station questions

Yes, it is relatively easy. Once inside, look for the big "Departures" board. It will say Partenza in Italian. he trains are listed by departure time and train number plus final destination, not necessarily your destination. Often the platform is not posted until a few minutes before departure so you must stay alert. You can consult the big yellow printed departure boards in the station which list departures by hour and indicate the usual platform for the train. The usual platform is not always the one used, however, so stay vigilant.

Usually you'll find someone who says the only speak a little English but it is enough to communicate where you need to go.

Since you are unfamiliar, arrive 20 minutes ahead of departure to ensure you get your bearings. Are your tickets printed or on an app?

General info here
https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-italy.htm

Please pay attention to what Laurel said re: looking for your destination, not the final destination. It took awhile for my husband to figure this out (lucky I did!).

1. It generally is especially the smaller stations. Platform numbers are obvious and arrow directions are good.

2. Not a good assumption. The ticket sellers and conductors will but general workers not so much.

3. Thirty minutes is adequate. There is no check-in. Just walk to the platform. Know your train number that is key. It will be posted on huge electronic boards BUT the platform location may not be posted until about 30 minutes prior to departure. And sometimes it will change. I generally stay in the station if small or at the head of the platform insight of one of the departure boards so I can see if there are changes. I will head to the platform around the 15 min mark. Often I will ask someone standing in the area, "Train to xxxxxx? " And if I see a uniformed conductor I will ask.

Extra -- double check your ticket to see if you have an assigned car and seat. All trains except Regional will have assigned seats. Regional trains are get on and go. No seat! You stand till one is available.

There are two types of stations. Termini -- meaning the trains start and finish at these stations and the platforms look like the fingers on your hand. The other station is a pass through where trains come in a one end and out the other side. Platforms are parallel with a train on either side and to change platforms you either walk in tunnels under the tracks (most common) or on elevate stairways over the tracks.

If you have communication difficulties, show your ticket to a rail-company employee and look puzzled; that has worked for me on multiple occasions. Those folks are used to directing clueless tourists to the right place.

If you encounter a track number that includes a letter (1a, 3n, etc.), be aware that the track will be different from (probably farther away than) the plain track 1 or track 3. I don't know whether you'll run into that, but it happens sometimes in very large stations.

I would add that you should be at the door of the train with your luggage, etc. and ready to disembark when your car approaches your arrival station. The train will only stop very briefly before leaving the station.

There is a wealth of information regarding larger train stations available online. For Venice and Rome, you should be able to find YouTube videos showing how to navigate the stations. You may be able to find at least maps and descriptions of smaller stations.

Finally, check out train travel in Italy on The Man in Seat 61 web site: https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-italy.htm

My advice is to really limit what you carry. You can find maps of the stations online to get your bearing. If I'm worried about it, I swing by the station the day before to check it out. Most big stations look like a barcode with one waiting area at the end where people wait for the notice of what platform they need to be on. We arrive a little early but not to airport standards. That's just us. Most people slide in a few minutes early.

• Remembering your train number and the train's final destination is the key. If you have a basic grasp of numbers in Italian, that helps with announcements.
• Occasionally, a local train will be on a track away from the main area to which you will need to progress. Be prepared.
• While navigating around the bigger train stations is easy, in the smaller stations, there will sometimes be a flight of steps from the platform to transfer or get out of the station. Waiting for an elevator might make you miss a transfer.
• There will always be steps, a short and narrow flight of steps up to the car which you will have to quickly progress up or down.
• People are always impatient. Saying scusi can be helpful.
• No one will ever, ever help you with your bags and be cautious if someone does offer.
• Make sure your device is reliable if using e-tickets.
• Find and line up for your car from the platform. Think about where your seat is located. It can be hard to walk between cars with luggage. People won't be happy. Do it only if the alternative is missing the train.
• The aisles in the cars are narrow and there can be steps up or down to different cars.
• There are baggage racks at the ends of cars. I don't use them.
• Some cars will allow you to store baggage on the ground in a tent-like space between seats if you don't want to lift it to the overhead area. I like those seats.
• Generally, people start lining up to get off a few minutes before the station. You will need to move quickly once the train stops.
• Depending on the platform, you may enter or exit on either the left or right side of the car.
• The bathrooms on the train are free and generally not horrible. No guarantees about the ones in the station.
• Don't expect train workers in Italy to speak a lot of English. The signs and announcements will be in English. Good luck from there.
• If somebody in a station wants to help you with your tickets, BEWARE!
• If there is a "strike", it isn't the end of the world. It will be okay.

Have fun!

thank you all for the great advice and quick responses. i have printed all of my tickets ( i am old school lol) i'll have the PDFS on my phone as a backup.
here's the info on the tickets with train type shown

train trip 1:
venezia s. Lucia to firenze S. m. Novella : Train: Frecciarossa
firenze S. m. Novella to siena : train: regionale

train trip 2:
siena to chiusi-chianciano terme: Train: regionale

train trip 3:
chiusi-chianciano terme to Orte : Train : intercity
Orte to Roma Termini : Train : regionale veloce

No one will ever, ever help you with your bags and be cautious if someone does offer.

Ever? I have been taking 10 high speed trains a week for 20 years now and I have always, A-L-W-A-Y-S helped older people / not-very-tall women with their luggage. There is always one who can't climb those 3 steps and helping them is done and expected without wasting time. Same for those who can't lift their luggage up to the overhead racks. I have often seen other commuters in the same car doing the same. Luckily I don't use trains "blessed" by a large number of cautious tourists.

What should a thief do with a suitcase full of used polyester clothes and were he could escape in a crowded station with a screaming tourist in tow is beyond my comprehension.

I’ve taken many many trains in Italy, and have been helped numerous times with a bag.
It seems to be by young people who have the look of students about them somehow.
Their Mammas taught them well!

tk,

Lots of good suggestions so far, and I have a few thoughts to add......

This video is a bit dated, but it will give you an idea of what to expect - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7whfEiZp34 . There's also this website - https://www.theitalianontour.com/how-to-travel-by-train-in-italy-a-locals-guide/ .

As you may be aware, tickets for the express trains such as the high speed Freccia come with compulsory seat reservations. Those will specify your Carozza (coach no.) and Posti (Seat no's.). Also, you must take the train specified on the ticket. If you board any other train, even by mistake, you'll be subject to hefty fines which are usually collected on the spot.

There is no reserved seating on Regionale trains. As you've bought online tickets for the Regionale trains, you won't have to validate these. However if you buy any tickets locally at the kiosks or whatever for Regionale trains, for Metro or Buses, you must validate these prior to boarding on the day of travel or again hefty fines. That also applies to Vaporetto tickets in Venice.

There are luggage racks at one end of the coaches. If those are full, you can often put bags in the "A" formed by the backs of two seats. Smaller carry on items are best kept close, on the racks above your seat.

Regarding your questions.....

1. Yes, generally speaking. As I recall, you'll have to pass through a security barrier at the stations to reach trackside. The platforms are referred to as Binario. There are always large electronic displays with all the arrivals and departures listed, and also large paper charts. You might find this look at Firenze SMN to be helpful - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AvG8bgyxYo .
2. The people you'll likely be interacting with such as ticket agents, onboard staff, etc. usually speak reasonably good English. You may find this helpful - https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/sightseeing/language-barrier .
3. As you're not too familiar with things yet, I agree with a previous reply that arriving 20 minutes early would be prudent. Having extra time will also allow you to buy a Panino or beverage at one of the many shops in the station.

As you'll be changing trains at some stations, that often involves going down to a transfer tunnel, in order to get from one platform to another.

When you arrive at Siena, the station is at the bottom of the hill so you'll have to take a taxi or bus up to the main part of the city.

When you arrive at Roma Termini, you may have to take a taxi to your hotel (depending on which hotel you're using). There are always taxis waiting right outside the front doors of the station. I often have a note with the name and address of my hotel, so there's no confusion. There's good information on transportation in Italy in the Rick Steves Italy guidebook.

Buon viaggio!

I just returned from 2 weeks in Italy, traveling by train (All Italo) for the first time to Florence, Venice and back to Rome. I thought the Venice train station was the easiest to navigate, going out 'the front door' seemed to be intuitive and when we walked out and down the stairs straight ahead to the vaporetto ticket windows, we just went to the machine to the left of the windows and entered the code on our prepaid vouchers for our vaporetto passes (we bought 72 hr passes, 30 days in advance from venezia unica and printed the vouchers, which had qr codes but the scanner wasn't working so it clearly said to type in the voucher number, I only had to enter one, and both tickets appeared on the screen and I selected 'deliver' they spit out immediately). When we left Venice for Rome via Italo train, we arrived at the station about 15 minutes before departure. There's no where convenient to sit, but as others have said the big departure board are overhead and everyone just waits til their platform is posted.
I thought Florence SMN was bigger and a little more disorienting, not quite as intuitive when we arrived, to figure out which door to exit to walk to our hotel, of course that was after about 24 hours of travel so that didn't help. But if you're just changing in Florence that may not be an issue for you.

thank you all again for your helpful notes. its nice to see everyone helping everyone out...even with the simplest questions.
:)

I have to laugh about something that happened to us once in France that several posters here made me think of, which is BE READY to get off! One time we had taken the high speed to Bordeaux and that particular train was stopping there (or ending there) so no big deal. Fast forward a few years later and we take another high speed train to Bordeaux only this one was NOT ending there but we didn’t know that, just assumed it was like the one we had taken before. People are getting on and we’re kind of la-dee-dah taking our sweet time getting off. Finally some sweet French person said “you need to get off the train NOW”, we were basically tossing our stuff and ourselves off as the train was slowly started moving. Literally 1 minute later would’ve been too late. So it’s good advice—be ready to get off just as you would to get on, if not more.

I use the German rail website (regardless of what country Iam traveling in) to print the timetable for the route I am taking showing the intermediary stops. I follow along with my clock that way I know when to move to the door and get my bag. As yes you will need to jump off bag in hand at the smaller stations, the stop may only be 90 seconds. I also print the two following routes incase my train does not show up at the appointed time (happens all the time in Italy). I use a bike lock and cable to secure by bag by the door on the rack so I don't have to worry about it during the journey or going to the potty. I get to the station at least 20 minutes before, it helps to not stress out. Small stations take less time, the bigger the station the more time necessary. Some of the stations in Paris, I would suggest getting there an hour early. J