Four of us are planning to travel by train from Rome to Venice on Nov. 1. Since this is a public holiday, I thought it might be wise to purchase the tickets ahead of time. When I visit the fs-on-line web site and find the Eurostar we want, I see the message 'This option is not available to purchase online'. How can I get the tickets?

Most likely the problem is caused by the fact that they have their summer schedule loaded and you're looking at a winter (fall, anyway) trip ... i.e., beyond the date for which they consider their scheudule valid. <BR> <BR>You'll note on their opening Englishpage (www.trenitalia.it)that they state <BR>"Valid Until 09/06/2001". Presuming they're using "American" date format, that's September 6. <BR> <BR>The subsequent schedule should cover your November 1 journey, and should be loaded in plenty of time to make your reservation.

Thanks, Ed. Now it all makes sense. I had about decided to go through CIT-Tours to purchase the tickets, but I'm wondering if even they would be able to confirm a schedule for November.

When you get your train tickets, please make sure you make a reservation also. On public holidays the trains are very busy and reservations will be highly recommended if you want to sit down during the ride.

If I remeber correctly, CIT is the Italian train system. I think they're in Chicago and ok to deal with. <BR> <BR>I had a problem with a sleeped and they refunded after the trip. <BR>