do trenitalia trains sell out?
 

going from florence to rome 3/22 and wonder if i might have issues

Quite likely - tomorrow is one of the busiest travel days in Italy, as everyone tries to get home for Easter. If you don't have seat reservation - compulsory for faster trains like Eurostar and Intercity+, then you either are denied boarding or have to stand up (or sit on your suitcase) all the way on slower inter-regio trains.

first class sells out too? maybe i'll just run over early in the morning to buy a late morning ticket - think thats safe? actually might not have a choice now!

IF you can get a ticket on a Eurostar then a seat is guaranteed

There are however two trains an hour

bambii, You obviously have a computer. If you also have a credit card and yur credit-card company knows that you are in Italy, why don't you try to book on line?

http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/fer...il/inglese.jsp

One of the reasons why seats may be booked out is that almost every train for Florence to Rome run originates from another city, usually Milan. While there will be some passengers leaving at Florence, many will stay on to Rome (and beyond).
Seat reservation is compulsory for Eurostar and Intercity+, and if it's just a single seat, I'm sure you can reserve on the day (though the lines may be horrendous).

No reason to stand in yes horrendous lines

the automatic ticket machines in every station are idiot proof (I could use them easily) and all in English and take American cc - takes a few minutes really. So easy to use - quite unlike trenitalia.com which i can't fathom is not as easy to use.

Yeh the worst i see is you'd have to go first class - so many trains