Quick guide to using trains in Italy.

Italy has a well-connected train system providing a convenient, affordable, and efficient way to travel around the country.  

Here is Kerith's tourist guide to how trains work in Italy: 

It helps to know Italian city names and a few keywords to get around:

• Partenze - Departures
• Arrivi - Arrivals
• Binario/Bin - Platform
• Rome - Roma
• Florence - Firenze
• Venice - Venezia
• Naples - Napoli
• Milan - Milano
• Turin - Torino
• Genoa - Genova

TICKETS

• Buy tickets for Italian trains in advance, especially for high-speed trains and long-distance journeys. Trains are popular in Italy, and the chances of getting a ticket decrease as your travel date approaches.
• If you have a paper ticket validate your ticket, before departures, at the yellow machines located on the platform. You only need to validate tickets for regional trains, not fast trains, and even then, you only need to validate physical tickets bought at a station, not tickets purchased online. 
• If you have an e-ticket, you must have a copy available for the conductor, who will carry out spot checks on the train for tickets. 

AT THE STATION

• Arrive at the train station at least 20 minutes before departure for regional and 40 minutes for inter-city trains. Don't worry about long security lines, but give yourself time to check the electronic boards which display the train numbers and their corresponding platform (bin./binario in Italian).  
• Finding your platform and train is no different from finding your gate and plane at an airport. 
  Signs are usually in English and Italian. On high-speed trains, announcements are usually repeated in English.  
• Find your train number under the Partenze (Departures) column to ensure you go to the correct platform (Binario) for your departure. It is important to note that the Partenze will display the final destination. So if you are traveling from Florence to Rome, your train might keep going to Naples – so Napoli will show on the board.  
• If you keep watching, all the stops will scroll by in the smaller letters next to the main destination. This should help put you at ease, but you can’t go wrong if you focus on the train number (usually 4 digits) and the departure time - check your ticket for this. 

ON THE TRAIN

• It is easier to board your pre-assigned carriage when you have pre-booked your seats on longer trains. The carriage numbers are visible either on the side of the train or on an electronic sign on the door. (But if your train is about to depart, just get on! You can find the right seat after it leaves). 
• You don't need to check your bags in, and there isn't a baggage car. You simply take whatever you like into the train and stick your bags on the racks above your head or the big luggage racks at the end of each car. If these are full, use the space between the seat backs, wherever there is a gap. On regional trains, it just goes on the floor next to you if there aren't any racks. Boarding early helps if you have a lot of luggage. Don't overthink it, but don't pack more than what you need.  
• Enjoy the ride! Trains in Italy are comfortable and equipped with amenities such as air conditioning, restrooms, and food and drink service on some trains. 
• Feel free to bring your own food and drink , even a bottle of wine, if you like, onto the train there are no rules against that on the rails! 
• Pay attention to announcements and arrival times to ensure you get off at the right station, but feel free to relax. Keep your arrival time in mind. Most trains in Italy make multiple stops, so set an alarm for 10 minutes before your scheduled arrival time to be sure you are alert when it is time to get off the train! 

Have fun! Italian trains are a great way to get around this gorgeous country!