Validating online train tickets
 

I bought a discounted "mini" ticket for Rome to Florence at great savings. I'm a bit concerned about how to validate the ticket at the SMN station. The ticket is printed out in English. Has anyone done this, and if so, is it more complicated than validating a regular ticket or does it work just as well in the machine?

No need to validate. Just have your printed ticket and head to the carriage and seat indicated on it. They apparently can ask you for ID but I just used my printed tickets and it wasn't an issue; you present it when the conductor comes along, he punches the number into a machine and hands it back to you. Happy Travels!

IF your ticket is for a particular train and on a particular date it already IS "validated."

You don't even need to show a print out of the email you were sent. It's not a ticket, but merely a confirmation.

All you need it the record locator # (PNR). It can be on a napkin, on your cell phone as a text message, or in your head.

It's an electronic ticket - same as airlines use.

The only train tickets that require validating in the machine are the ones without seat reservations.