I am trying to do a train booking online from Venice to Firenze, and am confused by the different terms VE S.L. MESTRE for some departures and MESTRE only for others. Is there any other train staion besides Santa Lucia in Venice?

What does "Conc.spec.VIII 30% con accompagn." mean? I got this from the drop down menu on the Fares choice page of Timetables and Purchasing. Is that valid for any 2 persons travelling together or only for disabled persons and accompanying adult? What would be the most cost effective option for 2 adults travelling together at the end of May 2009?

Thanks for helping me navigate through the intricacies of all the different discounted fares

You want Venice SL, not Mestre which is on the mainland. If you are from the US, you won't qualify for many of the discounts as they are for Italians holding certain train cards. Next to the drop-down list a fares, you should see something to the right you can click-on that will open a window explaing fares. Discounts you can use: the new 60%, 30%, 15% and the Amica. You can also use family discount if you qualify. Read about all of them in the fare link first.

I would not attempt to book on a weekend as Trenitalia seems to work better during Italian workdays. You should notify your credit card company before attempting to purchase and have them flag your account that you are making an overseas purchase. Then check back to make sure the info on your account has been processed. Do not attempt to use AmEx. Only use Visa or MC.

All trains from Venice SL (Santa Lucia) pass through Venice Mestre, but the opposite isn't true. There are some long distance trains that only stop at Mestre, especially those coming from the Northeast. If the train you want to take only stops at Mestre don't fret it. Just take any train from SL to Mestre (10min ride, local trains every 10-15min or so).

Don't worry about booking the train on-line. Its easy to buy tickets at the ticket machines in the train stations. Alternatively you can get them at any local travel agent displaying the trenitalia symbol. for more info on trains in Italy check out slowtrav.com

kybourbon, J62, you guys are the best! Thanks for the very quick and helpful responses. I did try to click on the info for fares, but got an invalid page... I will try again tomorrow as suggested. Thanks again!

Thanks as well, leuk2. I think our postings crossed in posting

Are you looking at the English version? I didn't get an error on the "information on fares" link, but usually it's working.

This link will cover the fares you want. You will have to click on some specials on the right also.
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...003f16f90aRCRD

Sandlady, check the suggestions posted by acswift on Mar 17, 09 at 06:18 PM at Trenitalia for Dummies post:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...or-dummies.cfm
I had less than 2 weeks to plan and book entire trip and after struggles to purchase tickets at trenitalia site, trying to use one by one all my credit cards, calling Citi and Chase I gave up.

I gave up too. Tried all my credit cards AND the Paypal-generated one-- none went through. Maybe it's their way of limiting the 30% discounts to locals only.