Train travel logistics May-June

I have used both trenitalia and italotren apps.
My experience has been when you buy the ticket using hotel WiFi you do not need data or internet access to open the ticket in the ap on the train. The ticket data is saved in the ap and will stay there as long as you don't clear the data in it. I never use phone data in Europe. I have found that the wifi at the hotel or the ubiquitous Starbucks cafe was enough. I even used the free wifi at the Florence train station cafe bookstore there. Also you can download your ticket in PDF on your phone once it is downloaded as file to your phone you don't need data or WiFi to access it. And don't be afraid to ask your local host of wherever you are staying about info on strikes.

I use the Trenitalia app on my phone in the US,no issues but I do have an account.
I also have the app on my GSM travel phone with a Vodafone Sim with lots of data...very inexpensive .
One benefit is that I can validate the ticket for regional trains and buy tickets any time. I have experienced smaller stations where the ticket machine was not functioning, so another advantage.
I don't know if having an account makes a difference but it's a seamless process between my US phone and my unlocked GSM travel phone.

I have loaded the Trentialia app on my phone in hopes it will help, but right now it can't pull up any info. My guess is the service is blocked outside of Europe.

There have been reports that the app doesn't work in Canada. If you're in the States it should work fine. Keep trying.

Did you create an account on the Trenitalia web site, and purchase your tickets from within your account? If so, your tickets will show up when you log into your account on the app.

If not, there is supposedly a way to import tickets into your account - you can search the forum for that info.

Once you have tickets in the app, you should be able to save them to your phone's wallet, which allows you to access them without any connectivity. If you have any tickets on Regionale trains, be sure to validate them while on wi-fi before you leave your lodging in the morning.

For your trip it would be helpful to sort out what connectivity you have on your phone, so you understand what you can access, and when.

I take a screen shot of any tickets /QR codes. Then it doesn't matter whether I have cell or WiFi access at the minute I need the ticket. It is always in my phone.

”…there is supposedly a way to import tickets into your account - you can search the forum for that info.”

In the Trenitalia app, there’s the option in “My Journeys” and “Saved Tickets” to add an additional ticket. I’ve loaded some ticket that I purchased outside of the app in this manner.

I also take screen shots of every document: train tickets, boarding passes for flights, itineraries, tickets for events and museums.
Then there is no need for wifi or data anywhere .

Yes, having photos or screenshots makes you less reliant on smart features or connectivity. I found that a cloud storage acct of some kind is a good way to back up all your travel info. You can get it all back even if you lose all your stuff by visiting an internet cafe. You do have to remember that one password though.

I found that a cloud storage acct of some kind is a good way to back up all your travel info.

I agree - as long as you have connectivity to access the cloud, or download key documents to local storage for offline use.

The reason the Trenitalia app does not pull up any data for me is they apparently block connections from my ISP. The same happens when I try to open the website from my PC or phone. This was reported last year and hasn't changed. Apparently anyone using Cox as a provider will have this issue. Using only cell data on my phone allowed me to get the app working and visit the website.

The Trenitalia app is not available in Canada so it’s not that it doesn’t work
It is simply not available

All of our train tickets were pre-purchased without the Trenitalia app. The app offered two methods to add existing tickets, with PNR plus CP codes, or with ticket# plus email address. I was not able to add existing tickets with the second method, and I only saw the PNR codes on my printed info.

After calling the ticket issuer I was given the CP codes for most of the journeys, and I had no problem adding the tickets to the app. I didn't need to set up an account for this. I was told that some train connections do not have CP codes so a few are missing and we may need the printed ticket for those.

Thought I would follow up on the use of the app. It worked great for the tickets I was able to enter into the app. Regional train tickets do not seem to have change codes (CP) so they cannot be entered into the app. For these you may need to talk to an agent at the station and stand in a long line. You really need a cell connection to track status in real time, since wifi is only available at larger stations and on certain high=speed trains. The app is not updated as quickly as the display board, but you can check it anytime. The platform# is often a mystery up until your train arrives, but you can find that out by searching all possible trains arriving on your time slot and checking status to see that it also stops at your destination. That is probably your train. Knowing this up front gives you a little extra time. Even so we did have to hurry to make one or two tight connections.

In general you do NOT want to check-in until you know your train has arrived and you won't miss it. Checking in early prevents you from making changes. The app will let you check-in for national but not regional trains. For the 10 or so trains we had, our tickets were inspected for a few of these longer duration rides. None of our trains were subject to the strikes so I don't know if the app would show that.