Italian train system

First, only you can determine by doing the homework which is the most economical way to do. Without doing the homework, I would guess point to point since Italian rail tickets are pretty cheap. A rail pass still requires spending time and money getting reservations unless you are using the regional trains slowest where reservations are not required. If you buy far enough in advance the discount tickets should be available. It is extremely rare for trains to complete sell out unless you hit some holidays. I doubt if buy just prior to boarding would be a problem for getting on but many not get five seats together. Buying two or three days ahead would be better. We traveled with two sons and never had problem with getting tickets sometimes within a couple of hours. The new discounting structure does encourage early purchasing.

Hi Kelly - I'm not posting with an answer, as we haven't completed our travel yet, but our similarities are such that it might be interesting to share information. Our family is also traveling to Italy July 2011, and are a family of five - two adults, three youth ages 18, 17 and 14. I have found a great website, www.euraide.com, that leads you to a telephone consultation with emminently qualified individuals with a vast knowledge of the European train system. I know that Rick Steves has spoken of them as well. My communication with them thus far has been very helpful in determining the most economical means of travel for our family. Last year, we purchased a pass for train travel throughout England and Scotland. We also traveled by rail through the Netherlands. I can say that about 80% of the time, our family (which was four of us at that time) was not able to sit together, as the second-class trains were crowded enough to just make an open four seats together virtually impossible. Sometimes, we were even scattered throughout two cars. Because of that, this year I have decided to budget for first-class tickets, which features cars that are far, far less crowded. Also, I noticed that the A/C worked much better in the first class cars (we ended up in one in Brussels last year by mistake before being kicked back to second - and VERY crowded! class). My guess is that in July, A/C on Italian trains will be a luxury approaching a necessity! Also because of our experience last year, I've decided to make reservations for our trains this year. Our family LOVES train travel, and the appeal of being able to have reserved seats, play cards, eat, chat, etc., together, for us, outweighs the loss of flexibility of choosing our time of travel. Good luck to you! Feel free to pm me if you would like to share any information!

Definitely purchase tickets at home if you want the savings...but you can certainly get them there. Try this site: http://www.bootsnall.com/eurail/passes/italy.shtml You can also try http://www.raileurope.com/index.html but they typically don't show all of your choices. Their pricing can be competitive...these days...Watch both of these companies for handling fees, S&H, etc., and pick the best one. Because those routes lend themselves to the more expensive trains, you'll spend several Euro on reservation fees that aren't included with passes... You have to price things out, but I expect the point-to-point to be more economical...

With one child under age 12, Kelly's family is elegible for the Family discount. You can read about it on th ewebsite under "offers". You can take advantage of this with online booking: when it asks you how many tickets and you indicate 2 adults and 3 children, the discount fare will appear.

Thank you all for your replies. It is starting to make more sense. I realize there are different ways to purchase, and have priced different options.... (on trenitalia, ricksteves pass).. Another thing that still confuses me-the booking sites ask # of adults/# of children. Are my 13 & 15 year olds considered adults (unless I get them Youth tickets) in this situation? I don't like ambiguity, and it seems these rail tickets/passes are full of it!
Any other suggestions welcome!

Passes in Italy are usually not worth because reservation fees are high. Most Italian trains now require seat reservation, regardless of whether you are using passes or not. It is quite impossible to get 4 seats together at whim. If you want to travel together, reserve your tickets in advance.

Tickets for children 4-11 are 50% of the standard adult fare. If you show up on the day of travel and buy tickets for a train which only has reserved seats, you probably won't get to sit together. And you may not even all be in the same car. If you can commit well in advance to specific departure dates and times and succeed in booking online at www.trenitalia.com, you can get MINI discount fares on high-speed EuroStar Italia trains and IC trains. Bought in Italy, the passholder reservation fee is €10 on ES trains and €3 on IC trains. There is open seating and no reservations are possible on Regionale trains.