Please welcome my dear friend Laura from Ciao Amalfi , giving her two sense on how to travel by train in Italy.  And herrrrreeeee she is.....

Challenges: Tackling Italy’s Trains

Myfirst experience traveling by train in Italy was anexciting, confusing and slightly nerve-wracking experience. Nearly tenyears ago, I took a train from Venice for a daytrip toModena. Knowing only a few words in Italian, itwas an adventure to say the least. I remember running through the Bologna station,accidentally mistaking my one way ticket for a round trip ticket andalmost missing the last train back to Venice. That trip,however, made me realize that if an inexperienced train traveler with noknowledge of Italian like me could pull it off with success, anyonecan!

flickr credit

Withhigh speed trains connecting all the major cities in Italy, and regionaltrains many of the smaller ones, traveling by train is one of the mostconvenient ways to travel in Italy. With a few tipsyou’ll find tackling Italy’s trains no challenge at all. (Andno doubt have a more successful first trip than mine ten years ago!)

Arrive at thetrain station with time to locate the electronic sign with departure andarrival information. Check your ticket for the train number and usethat to find your train listed on the departure board. Finaldestinations for the trains are listed on these boards, so don’t beconfused if the destination listed next to your train number isn’t yourdestination. Another problem with focusing on the destination listing isthat there might be several trains—fast and slow—going to yourdestination, and you don’t want to get on the slow train if you’vebooked the fast one! Just focus on the train number and the binario, or tracknumber, listed there and you’ll find your way to the right train. 

flickr credit 

However,don’t panic if your track number doesn’t show up right away on thedeparture board, since often it doesn’t appear until 5 or 10 minutesbefore the train departure time. When it pops up, just make your way tothe right binario, and board the train on the carrozza (train car)listed on your ticket. If you’re traveling with luggage, you’llfind a storage area at the end of the train car. Many people pack apicnic to enjoy on the train since food selections can be quite limited.

Travelingby train in Italy can seem intimidating, especially to travelers whoknow little Italian. Yet, after my nearly disastrous train trip tenyears ago, I’ve learned that with a few vocabulary words, you’llhave no trouble navigating Italy’s train stations. Here are a fewessentials to keep in mind:

stazione ferroviaria – train station

treno – train

partenza – departure

arrivo – arrival

binario – track (abbreviated toBIN on signs sometimes)

carrozza – train car

posto – seat

biglietto– ticket

Once you’recomfortably in your posto, sit back, relaxand enjoy the Italian countryside streaming by. If you’ve booked aticket on one of Italy’s fast Eurostar or Frecciarossatrains, you’ll be at your destinazione in no time. Buon viaggio!

flickr credit

Laura Thayer is an arthistorian and freelance writer living on the AmalfiCoast in Campania, Italy. She writesabout travel for MNUI travel insurance and blogs aboutlife on the Amalfi Coast at her own siteCiao Amalfi.