Italy train question about new Trenitalia check in for regional trains/changes

There is no manual check in option (this is not a plane). Basically you cant use electronic tickets in Italy without internet access. Unlike other countries you cannot just print out the QR code. I hope Trenitalia realizes the mess they've made.

The best solution for you is to get a paper ticket. just buy it from a ticket vending machine before travel.

Is it no longer possible to buy print-at-home tickets on the Trenitalia website for the regional trains?

And can I still take another regional train for up to 4 hours later

I had an opportunity to ask a conductor how to manage Regionale tix while on a train - he said that yes, the ticket is good for four hours after the scheduled time, provided the ticket is validated. But this doesn't allow you to use the ticket before the schedule time.

Will you not have cellular or data while traveling?

The tickets are easy to manage on the app - is best to have an account with Trenitalia, so that all of your tickets are in one place. When you buy a Regionale ticket it will show up in the app and they should also send a copy of it via e-mail. You can validate it in the app or by using the link in the e-mail. Note that the only requirement is that you validate after midnight on the day of travel - you can do this in the morning at your lodging while you still have service - you will see a green bar added at the top of the ticket - you don't have to wait and validate shortly before the train arrives. Of course this prevents you from changing the ticket once it is validated.

For the Frecce and IC tickets it should be possible to add them to your Wallet, but I don't believe it's possible for regionale tickets.

I believe the validated ticket persisted in the app without service, but I'm not sure on this point. To be safe, you could take a screenshot of the validated ticket once it has the green bar and save it on your phone.

Some of us prefer not to use cellular data while traveling, if possible - it costs us money! I was in a smaller town in Italy last fall, and I purchased paper tickets from the vending machine, as another poster suggested.

Ugh. Way too much messing around for this girl. Long live the paper ticket: buy it; punch it; get on the train.

Yup, Kathy nailed it.

The OP says she'll be departing from a small station that "will be crowded with cruise passengers". It sounds as if she herself may be on a cruise. I've never been in that position myself, but others have described significant waits to use ticket-vending machines when a large cruise ship is in port at a place like Civitavecchia.

I will be at a small station, so not likely to have free wifi/etc. and it will be crowded with cruise passengers, so waiting in line to manually check in likely would not be an option.

If you don't have a data plan on your cellphone then get a paper ticket.

We used the Trenitalia app a few months ago and when your screen locks you have to access the internet to display the QR code again. The conductor walks down the aisle and wants to see the QR code on your phone so checking in online prior to boarding (if the station has wifi) will not be sufficient.

If you have an unlocked smartphone that can accept an eSIM, that could be a relatively inexpensive solution to have access to cellular data when you need it.

I've never been in that position myself, but others have described
significant waits to use ticket-vending machines when a large cruise
ship is in port at a place like Civitavecchia.

Where does the cruise start?

A ticket from Civitavecchia does not have to be bought in Civitavecchia. If you have some time earlier to swing buy a station buy the ticket then.

...when your screen locks you have to access the internet to display the QR code again.

Which is why I suggested you take a screenshot of the QR code with the green bar while you have service right after activating the ticket.. The screenshot will be in Photos. This is if you believe you won't have service when boarding the train.

A ticket from Civitavecchia does not have to be bought in
Civitavecchia. If you have some time earlier to swing buy a station
buy the ticket then.

Exactly. Paper tickets can be purchased days in advance from any station selling them as long as you know which days you'll be needing them. It's not clear if Elaine will be in Italy much in advance of her journey?

If you buy the ticket on the Trenitalia ap the data is stored in the ap. My experience has been you don't need wifi or data to access the ticket.

The other option, which I see ran again last year for the first time since Covid, is the Civitavecchia Express train. It's a bit more expensive, but a fast train with a guaranteed seat, booked in advance.

As for buying a paper ticket I was always told that you could also buy the BIRG ticket at a tobacconists or a news stand. The story always used to be that the tobacconists just down the street from Civi bus station sold them, as did the news stand outside Civi Station.

Whether true or not I don't know.

So you don't necessarily have to stand in line at the station ticket machines.

I don't know whether newsstands and tobacconists still sell those train tickets. If they do, the purchase might need to be made with cash rather than a credit card. I ran into that limitation when buying transit tickets in Naples last year. The fee sellers get for handling tickets isn't very high, so the credit card fees might be unreasonable in this situation.

I think the BIRG ticket could only be purchased/used for the Lazio Metrebus system? Because the OP mentioned a small station crowded with cruise passengers, there's the assumption that its Civitavecchia but could it be a different port, such as Ravenna? Elaine, which port are you arriving at - assuming as well that you're coming off a cruise? - and where are you trying to go from there?

https://www.atac.roma.it/en/tickets-and-passes/birg