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Italy – Useful info

What documents are required to enter Italy?

European Citizens whose country is under the authority of the Schengen Treaty may enter Italy with nothing more than a valid identity card or passport. Citizens from all other countries must show their passport on the border; where a visa is required, this must also be presented to the border authorities and must indicate the length of the holder's stay and his or her destination. Visa applications - specifying the reason for the trip -  must be made to the Italian Consulate in the applicant's country of residence, and are generally issued 90 days after the application has been made.

Once visitors arrive in Italy, those who will not be staying in a hotel or similar accommodation facility must register with the local police headquarters within 8 days of their arrival in the country. Visitors staying in hotels or other tourist accommodation facilities will automatically be registered upon reception there.

Are their any restrictions on goods that may be brought into the country?

There are no limits to what may be bought or carried on trips within the European Union, provided such purchases are for the traveller's own personal use.

What currency is used in Italy?

Since 2001, the currency used in Italy is the euro.    
One euro is divided up into 100 euro-cents.
There are eight different coins  (1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 euro-cents) and seven notes (5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros).

Credit cards

As well as in cash, purchases can be paid for using the most common credit cards. This payment system is common in Italian shops, which generally display the symbols of the credit cards they accept on the outside door. If you pay by credit card you will be asked to show an identity document.
Travellers cheques (in USD or Euros) can also be cashed in Italian banks.

Tips

Tips are not compulsory and in Italy there are no generally established rules, although it is common practice to leave a sum amounting to around 10% of the bill if you are satisfied with the service you have received.

Language

Italian is the official language of the country, although accents and dialects may vary widely from one region to another. A large number of local dialects are spoken in Italy.
There are two regions, however, which have a second official language: the Aosta Valley, where French is also spoken, and Trentino Alto Adige, where German is also spoken. In these regions, road signs, as well as place names, for example, appear in both languages. There are also a number of small areas in which languages other than Italian are used, although these languages do not have official status: in Friuli-Venezia Giulia there is a Slovenian-speaking area, and in Calabria (in the Bovesìa area) and in Apulia (in the Grecia Salentina zone), Greek is spoken in some areas. In Sicily, in Piana degli Albanesi, you will find the largest Albanian community in Italy, where the Albanian language is widely used, even in official documents and on road signs.

Religion

The Italian Constitution guarantees freedom of worship. Most of the population is Catholic; there are also, however, a large number of minority religious communities, some of them of Christian or Catholic inspiration, such as the Apostolic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), the Waldensian Evangelical Church and the Holy Orthodox Archdiocese, as well as Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist communities.

Making calls to and from Italy

To call an Italian telephone number from outside Italy, either from a landline or a mobile phone, you will need to add the international dialling code for Italy, which is 0039 (+39), followed by the telephone number you require.
To call another country from Italy, you will need to add the international dialling code for the country you are calling, followed by the telephone number you require.
To make calls within Italy, dial the number you require without adding the international country dialling code.
To make calls from public telephones (which you can find on the street, in some bars, restaurants, etc and in shopping centres), you may use coins or phone cards, which can be purchased from tobacconists, news kiosks and telephone shops.  
Mobile phone reception in Italy is based on GSM technology, which is not compatible with that of a number of countries (including the USA and Japan), unless you have a three-band mobile phone.
Before travelling to Italy you should contact your telephone services provider to activate the international roaming service (if it is not already activated automatically).
Making international calls from a mobile phone may be very expensive, and it is often advisable to purchase a phone card to call home from a public telephone.

Using internet and consulting email

There are numerous internet points and cafés offering internet access. In many hotels (especially higher-category ones) a direct internet connection is provided in the rooms. In addition, in Italy you will find Wi-Fi access available in many airports, hotels, train stations and other public places where travellers pass through or stop off.

What time is it in Italy?

Italy is in the Central European Time (CET) Zone, 1 hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), and observes Daylight Saving Time: at the beginning of spring the clocks go forward an hour in order to take advantage of an extra hour of sunlight in the late afternoon/evening. At the beginning of autumn the clocks are shifted back to standard Central European Time.

What are typical Italian mealtimes?

Italians usually have breakfast from 7.00 a.m. onwards. Hotels generally set a time (around 10.00 a.m.) after which breakfast may no longer be ordered. In restaurants, lunch is served from 12.30 to 2.30 p.m, and dinner between 19.30 and 23.00. These times are merely indicative, and may vary significantly, depending on the area of the country you are visiting: in the north they tend to be earlier, becoming later the further south you travel.

Shop opening hours

Shops are generally open from Monday to Saturday, from 9.30 a.m. to 12.30 and from 3.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m., although shopping centres and department stores often stay open all day, from 10.00 a.m. to 9.00 or 10.00 p.m. Shopping centres and stores are also open on several Sundays throughout the year.
Pharmacies have the same opening hours as shops, from 9.30 a.m. to 12.30 and from 3.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.; in larger cities, some pharmacies are open 24 hours. For emergencies during the night, or when the pharmacies are normally closed, a number of them remain open, on a rotational basis. A calendar listing the nearest one open can be found on the doors of all local pharmacies.

How does the electrical system work in Italy?

In Italy the electrical current is 220 volts AC (50 Hz).  
Electrical sockets comply with European regulations. In most hotels you will find adaptors for different types of plugs.

Is tapwater drinkable in Italy?

The supply of drinking water is guaranteed throughout Italy. The water from taps and fountains is checked regularly, and is perfectly safe to drink, unless there is a notice indicating otherwise.

What metric system is used in Italy?

In Italy, the basic unit of measurement is the metre. The International System of Units (SI), the standard metric system in use in the European Union, defines the seven fundamental units used (metre, kilogramme, second, ampere, kelvin, mole, candela).

Sizes
Clothing

Italian sizes are in centimetres, unlike US sizes, for example, which are in inches. Women's clothing sizes generally range from about 38 to 56, men's sizes from about 42 to 60.

Shoes

Adult shoe sizes generally go from about 35 to 46.
Sizes and measures can be converted by visiting one of the various internet sites that offer conversion tables.

Source: www.italy.it