Validating Rail Tickets

It is not whether it is bought online, but what type of ticket it is.

• Tickets for "regionalle" (short distance) trains do not incude reservations, they are valid on any train. You can buy the tickets days or weeks in advance and use them whenever you like. But, to stop you using the same ticket twice on different days, you must stamp the time and date on them ("validate") before boarding the train.
• Tickets for high speed and other long distance trains include a reservation. The ticket says date, time, train number, coach and seat number on it. It can only be used for that train, and does not require validation (time stamping).This includes print-at-home tickets. What is the point of stamping a ticket when you can print it out as many times as you like?

If you have a print-at-home regionale ticket, you will not validate it at the station since it won't fit into the machine, and it has an expiration date. Regionale tickets are good for travel for several hours on the day they are validated by the conductor literally punching your ticket (e-tickets are scanned).

Zoe has the right answer. Tickets you purchase online and print at home are for a particular time slot on a particular day, even if it is a regional train. You do not have to validate these in the machine at the station. In most of them you can't---the paper won't fit! These tickets are not good on any regional train like the ones you buy at the train station---so don't miss your chosen time slot.

Need a little clarification about Regionale train tickets purchased on line. A Regionale ticket purchased on line will ask for a day and time for the tickets. Say you enter 0800, that means the ticket will be good on any Regionale train going to that town, starting at that time and day AND is valid for three hours. This is the principle reason it is strongly recommended that you DO NOT purchase Regionale tickets on line. There is no advantage since there is no discount and the ticket comes pre-validated. The conductor does not validate the ticket by punching it.

Regional tickets purchased online are generally pre-validated and good for 4 hours from the time and date shown on the ticket. Check the Notices at the bottom of your printed ticket to see whether that's the case with yours. If it is and you miss your selected train, you can take a later regional train provided your trip is completed within the 4 hour window. If you take a later train, be sure it's a regional or regional veloce (fewer local stops). You risk a fine if you take an Intercity or Frece train, or if your regional train arrives more than 4 hours after the pre-validated time.

Thank you all!