>>>We (eight people-5 adults and 3 kids) needed a specific date and a specific time for our Milan to Bologna train travel.<<<

Italo allows booking 9 people at a time, but uses different stations in Milan.

You would book your Villach/Venice on the Austrian website -oebb-at.

When are you traveling?

Stresa-Zurich - You would need to go through Milan and change trains. There are often discounts (called Smart Fare) for the EC train (international train - Swiss/Italian), but at the minute Trenitalia seems to still have some issues from their upgrade last weekend. Here's some info about the smart fares.

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...008916f90aRCRD

For Venice/Florence you can use either Trenitalia or Italo Treno. They both use the same stations on those cities (Venezia S Lucia, Firenze S M Novella)

For Florence/Naples you can also use both (stations Firenze S M Novella/Napoli Centrale).

For Naples/Rome, Italo Treno mainly uses Roma Tiburtina which is further from the center of Rome than the station Trenitalia uses (Roma Termini). Italo has a handful of trains that go to Termini.

How are you getting to Stresa? Car rental?

>>>Do you get vouchers that you print out and take to the train station? <<<

Different countries do their own thing. Some you need to print out at home in advance, others you need to retrieve at a self-serve kiosk (such as the EC train Milan/Zurich).

Yes, car rental from Rome to Stresa. Then the Centovalli Railway to Locarno...

Looking at my Villach - Venice, I have this option
"SparSchiene Italy
Kontingentiertes offer with specific train, no exchange, refund special provisions"

What does this mean?

Thanks for the help!

It would seem to mean a discounted ticket for a specific train on a specific date that cannot be changed nor refunded - see www.seat61.com for all about discounted tickets.

What does this mean?

Yes, that's a discounted ticket - a promo.

http://www.oebb.at/en/Travelling_abr...ropa/index.jsp

If you want to pay full fare it would still be for a specific train on a specific day, but usually changes are allowed until departure. Depends on train company.

>>>Yes, car rental from Rome to Stresa. Then the Centovalli Railway to Locarno...<<<

So you aren't going Stresa/Zurich after all? Are you picking up the Centovalli at Domodossola? If so, you can take a regional train (don't book this online in advance) from Stresa to Domodossola without going through Milan. About 4€ and 30 minutes travel time.

You can probably book the Centovalli train on their site or the Swiss rail site.

No need to book the Centovalli train online - no discounts I think - just buy that ticket in Stresa or Domodossola - booking online means hassling for a refund in case for some reason you do not end up taking the train.

the Centovalli train is a Swiss train I'm pretty sure even though it does putz thru a segment of Italy - a Swiss Pass is valid the whole way - there are some special observation cars too - so check www.sbb.ch - Swiss Railways site for schedules and fares with possible savings - not generally possible IME in Switzerland where there is still a fairly flat fares except on a few main international or domestic routes.

You can also go to Locarno, terminus of the Centovalli train, via boats on Lake Maggiore - much quicker than the round-about train ride though and also scenic in its own way.