Do the ticket machines at Milan Centrale take euros or only credit cards with a chip? Thanks!

Some ticket machines are cash only and some you can use credit card. They don't have to have a chip.

Inform your credit card company that you plan to use your card in Italy or else it could be blocked- IME the machines are idiot-proof - i.e. i could easily use them - long lines typical at ticket windows

If landing in Milan there is (or was at least) an Italian train desk/ticket office in the airport arrivals' hall.

Great, thanks so much!

At Milano Centrale there are a lot of normal ticket offices, no need to use machines.

Well if Milano Centrale is like Rome Termini then lines at ticket windows there - during a three day span last year were always long - it seemed they wanted to make folks use the machines - ditto in Florence - but i do not have recent experience at Milano - maybe things are better there.