How hard are the connections in Ventamigala and Milan

I cannot help with Ventimiglia, but I am quite sure it is a small station where you will have no problem. Milan is huge, but as long as you stay on the track level it is pretty easy to understand. The trains all pull in to a "stop" and are lined up parallel. I think there are about 24 tracks. When you get off the train, follow the crowds to the head of the tracks, where there is a large open lobby area. A board overhead will post the track numbers for the next trains. Look for "Firenze" and be SURE to match the train number with yours. Then find the track-they are numbered from left to right as you face the trains.

Dawnya, You'll probably find rail travel in Italy a bit "different" than the TGV. Have you bought your ticket yet from Nice to Florence? It's likely that at least one leg of the trip will have reserved seats, so be sure to sit in the correct seat! If the ticket is in Italian, it will indicate Carozza (Car No.) and Posti (Seat No.). The station in Ventimiglia is a smaller & older station. As with many in Italy, changing trains may require a trip from one track to another via a Sottopassagio (tunnel). This will likely only have stairs (although I've seen elevators in a few places). DO NOT cross the tracks! Here's one view of the station. Your ticket will have a Train # listed (on Italian tickets, Treno # is on the left side. When you disembark in Ventimiglia, look for that number on the electronic board or the paper charts. The charts are listed by departure / arrival time. That will tell you which track your train is on. As Lola mentioned, when you arrive in Milan follow the crowd and walk to the end of the platform, and again look for your Train # on the electronic board or the charts. They sometimes don't display information until about half an hour before departure on some trains. Be prepared for the chaos of Milano Centrale! Wear a Money Belt and watch your luggage! If you need to use the WC, it's one floor down from track level and is a "pay per use" facility (€1 as I recall). The staffed ticket office (should you need it) is two floors down (there's usually a large queue there, so I tend to use the Kiosks). You'll be arriving at Firenze Santa Maria Novella station. Depending you where you're staying, you might be able to walk to your Hotel. Cheers!

Thank you guys. That was very helpful. We had reservations for our TGV from Paris-Nice. More questions. I have a railpass. I was told I didn't need to get tickets. I just walk on board with my railpass? Is this not true? I was also told I don't need reservations for Nice-Florence or Florence-Rome. Is this true? I am confused. I can go to Gare Nice-Ville tomorrow if I need to get some sort of ticket/pass. Thanks again for any advice. I really appreciate it.

It is very likely that the trains from Milan to Florence and from Florence to Rome will be ES trains that DO require reservations. If you board with your pass and don't have a reservation, you will be in big trouble. Which shcedules are you using? Take a look at Trenitalia and it will show the day's schedule from Milan to Florence, with the type of train designated. If you train is the ES (FRECCIAROSSA) type (which is good as they are fast and comfortable) then you can make your seat reservations in Milan before boarding, but this will take some time. They leave hourly, so take that into account when you reserve.

Thank you for your help guys! I did get seat reservations for the Paris-Nice TGV and all went smooth. One more question. I have a France-Italy railpass. I didn't think I needed to get tickets or reservations for Nice-Florence or Florence to Rome . I was told once my railpass was validated I didn't need to get tickets? Is this correct? Do I need to go to Gare Nice-Ville to get tickets/reservations in advance of boarding the train to Florence on Saturday? Thank you again for your advice. I appreciate it very much.

Dawnya, you will not need a ticket, but as explained, you will need a seat reservation (mandatory!) for the ES trains. A seat reservation is different from a ticket -- your pass IS your ticket, but you also need to pay for a seat too, depending on the TRAIN (not the route per se).