Italian trains

rec.travel.europe added to Newsgroups list.

On 2010-03-18, Jim Beaver wrote:
I'm going to be in Rome in a couple of weeks for a personal appearance, paid
for and organized by the event promoters. Then I'm going (on my own bread &
planning) to spend a few days up north near Savona, on the Ligurian coast.
My plan is to take the train from Rome.

I've looked at the Italian rail site and there are several trains available
for the day I want to travel.

Looks like a useful train every hour.

However, the site says the tickets cannot be
purchased online outside of Italy. (No reason is given, and I can't quite
think of a good one.) Therefore, I've either got to get someone there to
buy the ticket for me in advance, or I've got to take a chance on being able
to buy a ticket on the day of travel.

You could also buy a ticket the day you arrive in Rome.

Now here's the core of the problem. The day I want to travel from Rome is
the day after Easter. It seems to me, who's never been in Rome on that
particular holiday, that every Catholic in Europe will be headed out of Rome
the day after Easter. Will I, baggage in tow, be able to get a ticket or
even squeeze onto a train that day?

Would I be better off renting a car? It's 373 miles one way. (I'm flying
home from Nice, not Rome, so obviously I wouldn't want to rent a car if it
HAD to be returned to Rome.)

Anyone here familiar enough with trains out of Rome just after Easter to
give me a notion of what to expect?

I don't think the risk is that great, especially if you buy first class,
but I have no experience with Rome and easter. I'm hoping the crosspost
will rope in some experts.

On Mar 21, 1:16*pm, Jesper Lauridsen
wrote:
rec.travel.europe added to Newsgroups list.

However, the site says the tickets cannot be
purchased online outside of Italy.

Are you sure about that? Is it www.trenitalia.it you are looking at?
It seems to me you can purchase tickets for collection at a station,
though I didn't complete the payment stage.

Jesper Lauridsen wrote:
rec.travel.europe added to Newsgroups list.

On 2010-03-18, Jim Beaver wrote:
I'm going to be in Rome in a couple of weeks for a personal
appearance, paid for and organized by the event promoters. Then I'm
going (on my own bread & planning) to spend a few days up north near
Savona, on the Ligurian coast. My plan is to take the train from
Rome.

I've looked at the Italian rail site and there are several trains
available for the day I want to travel.

Looks like a useful train every hour.

However, the site says the tickets cannot be
purchased online outside of Italy. (No reason is given, and I can't
quite think of a good one.) Therefore, I've either got to get
someone there to buy the ticket for me in advance, or I've got to
take a chance on being able to buy a ticket on the day of travel.

You could also buy a ticket the day you arrive in Rome.

Now here's the core of the problem. The day I want to travel from
Rome is the day after Easter. It seems to me, who's never been in
Rome on that particular holiday, that every Catholic in Europe will
be headed out of Rome the day after Easter. Will I, baggage in tow,
be able to get a ticket or even squeeze onto a train that day?

Would I be better off renting a car? It's 373 miles one way. (I'm
flying home from Nice, not Rome, so obviously I wouldn't want to
rent a car if it HAD to be returned to Rome.)

Anyone here familiar enough with trains out of Rome just after
Easter to give me a notion of what to expect?

I don't think the risk is that great, especially if you buy first
class, but I have no experience with Rome and easter. I'm hoping the
crosspost will rope in some experts.

Monday after Easter is called in Italian Pasquetta. Everybody goes somewhere
out of town, if the weather is good.

I do not think Italians travel by train though.
Rome, of course, will be crowded

Pls not that for some trains you have to buy a specific ticket, while for
other trains you can buy a normal ticket and then stamp it beofre boarding
the train.

What I mean to say is :
if there is a superfast train at 08.00, you can buy a ticket ONLY for that
train.

if there is a Regional train at 20.25, you can buy a normal ticket and then
stamp it before boarding that train. Of you can board any REGIONAL train at
any time with that ticket. Just remember to stamp that ticket before
baording the train.

that is to ensure that on superfats trains you have yr seat.