Trains from Cinque Terre

Gary, There are most definitely numerous trains to and from the Cinque Terre. The floods occurred in October 2011, but service has been fully restored. It would help to have some idea what you're entering on the Trenitalia website for search criteria. Note that the Cinque Terre is comprised of five towns, so you'll need to enter the Italian name for each town in order to search trains. Also, did you click the "Tutti i Treni" (gray) tab on the website or are you using the "Frecce" (red) tab? Cheers!

Maybe I'm biased here, but I've found the Trenitalia site just too frustrating - particularly the English version. I use the Swiss and German sites instead. sbb.ch and bahn.de allow you to search for a schedule on virtually any european train and are MUCH easier to use. Just my $0.02.

Yes, Trenitalia website can be difficult. If you click on the Union Jack to get the English version, the gray "Tutti Treni" (all trains) turns into "Passes". So if you want to look at regional trains, you need to stick to the Italian version. Pull-down calenders don't work if you use google translate.
Just because because the website is a mess, doesn't mean the trains don't work. Agree that Bahn is a shining gem of a user friendly website.

If you are searching for a train AFTER June 8, the new schedule has not been released, apparently. I have been searching each day waiting for Trenitalia to post s. I am trying to get to Monterosso from Florence, and that has not been posted yet. When I leave Monterosso for Rome, there is only one train listed (at 0540!). I just figure that they will post s...when they get around to it...

I very much appreciate the responses to my question about Cinque Terre trains, especially the comments about the Trentalia web site. It seems clear that I m not alone in finding the site to be dysfunctional at best. I will try the other suggested web sites or wait to buy tickets when I am in Italy.

One more tidbit: sbb.ch has an awesome feature that I use all the time. When you use the online timetable to figure out a train between two points it'll return a list of possible trains close to your preferred time. Then click on 'Timetable Booklet" and put in a few parameters. You'll get a PDF of all trains between the ed times. Print it out and bring it with you so that you always have a schedule between two points. That way you can time your stay appropriately without waiting for an extended period of time at the station. They also make an iphone/android version of the schedule that you can download. Awesome stuff and I use it all the time. Also, no need to buy your tickets from the states unless you absolutely know which train you'll be on and you want to get a reduced fare. Buying tickets either at the automated machines of the ticket window at the station is easy; you can also buy a ticket at most travel agencies.

Gary, "It seems clear that I m not alone in finding the site to be dysfunctional at best." I don't find the Trenitalia website to be "dysfunctional" at all, at least for researching rail trips (buying tickets is a different matter). I normally use the Italian version of the website and have few problems with it. When using the Trenitalia website, it's important to enter the Italian name for the station with correct spelling. That may be one reason why the website was returning "No Such Stations Exists" messages. You can easily buy tickets when in Italy, either from staffed ticket offices or the ticket Kiosks. I normally buy tickets for each outgoing journey either when I arrive in a particular city (since I'm at the station anyway), or at least a few days before I'll be travelling. There are a few potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of when travelling by train in Italy, and I'll post my usual "boilerplate" on that subject in a separate reply. Cheers!

Gary, Regarding rail travel in Italy..... When using Regionale trains which don't require reservations, it's VERY IMPORTANT to validate (time & date stamp) the tickets prior to boarding the train. This includes the Leonardo Express from the airport to Roma Termini. The validation (Convalida) machine will either be bright yellow or blue & gray, with a small digital display on the front. These are easy to find and located near the tracks. If the machine is out of order, writing the time & date on the ticket may be acceptable (ask the Conductor as soon as possible). Those caught with unvalidated tickets may be fined on the spot! The fines start at €50 per person and if not paid on the spot, they DOUBLE and increase from there! The same fines apply to those travelling via Bus in Rome and other places (in that case, validation machines are often located ON the Bus). Conductors are now carrying portable debit/credit card Terminals, so payment of fines WILL be easily accomplished! Those travelling on the "premium" trains such as the Freccia high speed trains MUST have a valid reservation or again may be fined on the spot! These fines also start at €50 per person, in addition to the cost of the reservation, which is currently ~€10 PP. Reservations on these trains are compulsory and are specific to a particular train and departure time. It's NOT POSSIBLE to simply buy a ticket with reservations and then board any train. The ticket or reservation will specify the train number (ie: ES 9718), so it's important to verify that before boarding.