Italy Train tickets

You won't have any problem figuring this out when you are there. But just to make you feel safer, the coach is the car and the coaches will be numbered in order. The seats are numbered inside and will make immediate sense to you. Don't worry about asking questions making you a target. Look aware and awake and businesslike and you won't have any problems. But to board the train you probably won't have to ask any questions. I'll anticipate a few for you: 1) All the cars/coaches connect so if you are almost late just get on board and walk through the train to your car; 2) With reserved seats you do not need to validate your tickets; 3) Look on the big board for your train's bin number. Bin is track. If you don't see your train on the board it is because you are very early; 4) Remember that Florence has several train stations. Get out at your station not the earlier suburban ones; 5) There are toilets on board and they are free unlike those in the station and reasonably clean but you can't use them until the train is moving.

Most of the high-speeds from Rome to Florence are non-stop high-speeds. At 180MPH, they don't like to stop too many times. You will arrive at Firenze Santa Maria Novella train station. With the Italian trains, there are engines at each end. Thus, order of the seats changes depending which way the train is traveling. The class of the carriage is noted on the outside. 1 is for 1st class and 2 is for 2nd class. Just pick a good-looking 2nd class carriage and go for it. The seats are well-numbered and your seat may be in another carriage. You'll be OK. There are nice luggage storage areas above the seats. Or, even between the seats as half the seats face one direction and half face the other. Where they touch back-to-back, an angled space is created that will easily hold a 22" roller bag on its side.

Just a month ago we took a high speed train that made exactly one stop between Roma Termini and Florence Santa Maria Novella. That stop was also in Florence. We talked the young ladies from Australia opposite out of exiting there, but it took making them look at their tickets. Not surprising if you think about it. Italians live in Florence too, and most of them don't live in the old touristy part of town.

The electronic board at the station will have the latest information, usually lists the next 9 or ten trains to leave ("Partenze"). At the railhead, there will be a sign with the train number and its ultimate destination, walk down that track (you'll hear announcements to stay away from the yellow line). On the track, there will most likely be signs along with way (look up) with a number on them - the number is the carriage number, and this sign is an approximation of where the train car ("carrozza") will stop. Coach 04 is the car number. There may be a message on the electronic board that reads "Prima Classe in Coda", which means first class is in the tail of the train. Each carriage will also have a "1" or "2" painted on the train for 1st or 2nd class.

If in doubt about the appropriate carriage/seat, ask one of the conductors as you board the train. Even if they cannot speak english, they will look at your ticket and point you in the right direction. Last year, we boarded a train from Rome to Grossetto with a reserved seat, but that coach had been deleted from the train that day (these things happen occasionally). It was not a problem, the conductor just had us take a seat in a different car.