Italy by train: Do I need Italy Pass ? Reservations ?

Thanks, LArry and Frank! So, if I go with the regional trains with no reservations required, can I or should I purchase tickets before my trip online ? I read threads about the tickets being cheaper before I travel. Plus it should save my time from falling in line eveytime.

Also, do the ticket booths accept US credit cards?

Anyone know which train websites to look at for this ? I guess they don't have partnerships with EuroRail for the Italy Passes.

You supposedly can purchase tickets for the faster trains up to 90 days in advance on www.trenitalia.com, the Italian train site but not many are successful in completing a transaction. The discounted Amica fares are not available on the slower R (regional) trains. In fact, I don't think that the tickets for the R train can be bought online in advance unless the run has a train change to or from a faster train. I can't even see the fares for an R train run.

Yes, the self-service ticket machines will prompt you in English as well as several other languages. They do take American credit cards and yes, they will make the seat assignments for you.

And, even if you have a pass, you will have to show up at the ticket window and get the seat assignment. You will pay 3Euro-15Euro depending on the class of train for the reservation.

Looks like you plan to use a mix of trains, some of which will require reservations and some of which don't. Regional trains are fairly inexpensive and you may do better buying those tickets rather than using a day of your pass. Milan to Venice, Venice to Florence and Florence to Rome will be the most expensive legs, and will all likely require reservations. You could stop in Verona and Padua on your way from Milan to Venice or do them as a day trip from Venice. Stopping enroute may require a bit of planning if not using IC or regional trains which require no reservations. From Florence, it would be better to split your day trips - Lucca and Pisa are close to one another - Siena and San Gimingnano are easily combined by bus. Trying to do all 4 of those from Florence in one day would be hectic at best.

When you travel between major cities (i.e. Milan/Venice), you will usually travel on higer-speed trains. To ride on these trains, you ask for, or are assigned, seats by the ticket agent or self-service ticket machine. Not really complicated. Your ticket will show the date, time, class and seat assignment. Should you get off somewhere during the journey (i.e. Verona or Padova) and your train departs, your ticket becomes invalid. There are ways to resolve up to 3 hrs after the train departs but it's a hassle.

Thus, you have two choices. Buy the reserved type tickets for the different legs of your jouney (i.e. Varena/Verona, Verona/Padova and Padova/Venice). Know your times and don't miss your trains. The second choice is to take the slower regional trains. They do not permit seat reservations. But, they are slower. You get on and off as you please.

Even with a pass, you have to observe the seat reservation process on the faster trains.

For the regional trains (and maybe IC - but not IC Plus - i.e. trains not requiring reservations), you can buy open tickets. They are good for several days for any regional (maybe IC) train on the purchased route. You can buy them at the train station or at a travel agency. It will save you some time buying tickets. Just pull out the ticket you need and stamp it before boarding. You have up to 6 hours to complete a trip of 250km or less and 24 hours to complete a trip over 250km - must be in one direction. For example, Pisa to Florence via Lucca will cost a little less than 2 separate tickets and gives you about 4 hours to explore Lucca. Have to keep a close eye on time though for the 6 hour trips. Note that you will probably get 1 ticket for each trip showing 4 passengers. Rick has a key to reading Italian train tickets in his guidebook.

Thanks both for the tips and info! Hope to receive Rick's book in the mail soon. I also bought the Italy maps book.

For DOMESTIC routes one can book up to 60 days in advance on the Trenitalia site. It's 90 days for an international route.

Go to www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html to check timetables and fares for your routes. Even if you don't get Amica fares, point-to-point tickets will probably be cheaper than a pass. Do the math and see.