Need help figuring out the trains in Northern Italy...?

We will be in Italy mid-April. We want to take a train from Venice to Florence to Pisa to Rome. (Not all in same day of course!)



I tried to work my way around the Trenitalia website and I think that we need to get a pass for the 7 days that we are there, but I am having trouble figuring out making reservations and choosing which train to take etc. I hear that travel agents are the best way to do this? Also, they don't charge a fee for the passes and are much cheaper than the Eurorail etc websites.



Any suggestions? We live in Germany right now, but are willing to maybe work with an agent in Venice or Aviano (our starting point). Thanks.Need help figuring out the trains in Northern Italy...?
You do not want Eurail passes for the trip you are proposing. Individual tickets will be cheaper. You may not qualify for a Eurail pass anyway if you have been living in Germany for at least 6 months, you would get an InterRail pass rather than Eurail. However, if you're a resident of Italy at the time you travel, you cannot use the InterRail pass on Italian trains. With the pass, you would need to pay an extra supplement/reservation for the higher speed trains here (any train other than the regional ones).



The Trenitalia travel cards for the trains are good for unlimited travel for a month on a particular route and type of train - it's not unlimited travel on all trains and will cost much more than individual tickets since there's only a discount of 5% over buying a month's worth of individual tickets.



You can save money (up to 20%) on the Venice to Florence and Pisa to Rome route by purchasing individual tickets in advance at the Amica rate if you use the faster trains. From Florence to Pisa, it's mostly regional trains that are only 5.60 euro (2nd class) anyway. Individual tickets would cost only 65.40 euro per person at the standard fare. If you take advantage of the Amica discount for buying tickets in advance, you can book the same three legs for 53.80 euro.



Note that if "mid-April" includes the week after Easter, train travel is pretty heavy here in Italy and it's mandatory to have seat reservations on some trains that don't normally require them. It would be a good idea to book tickets early.



I gather that you're military, so you may be able to get a discount or pass that isn't generally available. You should check with whatever travel support there is at the base. Not all travel agents here are authorized ticket agents for the train system.Need help figuring out the trains in Northern Italy...?
you can just but the tickets when your there really easily they have these machines and they can give instructions in any language and they dispence the tickets , its cheaper also that the 7 day tickets or euro rail , it also means if you decide to stay somewhere longer its not a big deal .

the trains in italy are brilliant enjoy your trip!