Interesting member of 25000 posts.
24900 are on Switzerland

The rest ses to ask for limos when she is on holiday. No wonder she doesn't like train stations.

I was in and out of there twice in September with no problems
as a single woman traveler.

Safety at Milano Centrale has improved considerably over the last year or so.

As mentioned access to the platforms is now limited to ticket holders which means that there are hardly any illegal baggage carriers, no people passing through the train carriages before departure bothering you, and no one bothering you at the automatic ticket machines trying to help you purchase your ticket. Also police presence has been increased on the platforms, in the main concourse and elsewhere. One of the worst areas was in the square outside the main station blighted by (young) pickpockets. Even this has been brought under control.

If you are only changing trains and your connection time is short you don't even have to leave the secure platform area. The only problem with the station is a lack of seating. If you have sufficient time go down to the ground floor and towards the right (i.e. with the trains behind you) there is Panino Giusto - you will find some of the best panini you will have ever tasted.

Regarding the rush to find the correct platform note that once the trains exit the station there are a series of tracks which head towards Como/Switzerland, Malpensa (Malpensa Express)/Stresa/Simplon Tunnel/Geneva etc, France and Torino. These are all on the left hand side looking towards the trains. The other tracks curve right after leaving the station and these trains go either East or South. The Eurostar and Italo trains leave from special platforms on the right hand side. On the very far right there are some regional trains such as the one to Mantova. In the middle there are various trains regional and intercity including the fast trains to Lake Garda, Verona and Venice.

I've nothing to add to the post of man in seat 61 except the fact that I don't like the fascist architecture stile of which Milano Centrale is a good example.

The architecture of Milano Centrale is a good deal better than some of the architecture which followed after the war. How about the Torre Velasca which frequently features in any list of ugly buildings.

Zurich - Venice by train without change at Milan:
Zurich dp 7.02 - Venice ar 14.40, change at Brig (9.11/9.44);
Zurich dp 8.40 - Venice ar 18.10, change at Innsbruck (12.16/13.27)

The Cisalpino used to run trains from Zurich to Venice and from Zurich to Florence. There are no longer direct trains.

Too many "mods" at TripAdvisor take their on-board roll too seriously. Their reaction to various subject matter can turn out to be a personal control issue. You learn these things as you do more research and study behavior.

Travelers should never avoid researching safety issues, so it's always good to be reminded. But you always have to consider a writer's bias or agenda.

A novice traveler tends to look bewildered and amazed in public spaces. Street thieves know this look well, and they're quick to prey. It's kind of fun to watch the really insecure travelers at Centrale: they're the ones with chained baggage at their ankles.

Some of the control-freak mods love to make fellow travelers feel more insecure. It's a power thing.

love the fascisti architecture, then you make a few steps to the west and find the long brutalist modern edifices

The Cisalpino used to run trains from Zurich to Venice and from Zurich to Florence. There are no longer direct trains.>

Not from Zurich but there is one daily train from Geneva and Brig that goes direct to Venice - no changing of trains or even getting off the train in Milan Centrale - it leaves Brig at 9:44 am and gets to Venice at 14:40 - 2:40 pm.

You can easily get to Brig by that time if you leave Lucerne a few hours before - on the 7:00 am train that gets to Brig at 9:11 - yup early rising but if you really want to avoid Milano Centrale...may be worth it.