Calling To/From Italy Long Distance

Calling to Italy

• General Tips for Calling to Italy from Abroad
• Instructions for Calling to Cities within Italy
• Instructions for Calling to Cell Phones in Italy

Making Calls while in Italy

• General Tips for Making Phone Calls within Italy
• Tips for Calling Internationally from Italy

Other Information about Long Distance Calling To/From Italy

• Information About the Italyi Telephone System
• Important Phone Numbers To Know if Traveling to Italy
• Other Important Information to Know About Italy
• Fun Facts About Italy

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Information About Italy’s Telephone System

Italy is the 5th largest market in the world for telecommunications services.  It has a highly modern telecommunications system with over 26.6 million land lines and over 72.2 million cell phone lines in use.

Important Phone Numbers To Know if Traveling to Italy

Before traveling to Italy, you may want to obtain the contact information for your country’s embassy in Italy. Here are just a few:

The U.S. Embassy is in Rome at Via Vittorio Veneto 119A (tel. 06-46-741).  There are U.S. Consulates in Florence (Lungarno Amerigo Vespucci 38, tel. 055-266-951); in Milan (Via Principe Amedeo 2-10, tel. 02-29-03-51); in Naples (Piazza della Repubblica 1, tel. 081-583-8111); and in Genoa (Via Dante 2, tel. 010-58-44-92).

The Canadian Embassy is in Rome at Via G.B. de Rossi 27 (tel. 06-445-981).  A Canadian Consulate is also in Rome at Via Zara 30 (tel. 06-445-981).  Another Canadian Consulate is located in Milan at V.V. Pisani 19 (tel. 02-67581).

Other Important Information to Know About Italy

Time Zone:

Central European Time: GMT  +1.00 hours. Current time in Rome.

Currency:

The euro is currently worth 1.35 U.S. dollars, 0.68 British pounds, and 162 Japanese yen.  Current exchange rates for the euro.

Population:

58,883,958 (95.5% Ethnic Italian, 0.8% Arab, 0.6% Albanian, 0.5% non-Chinese Asian, 0.5% Romanian)

Holidays:

Italy’s holidays reflect the country’s largely Roman Catholic population. Offices and shops are closed on these national holidays: New Year’s Day, Easter Monday, Liberation Day (April 25th), Labor Day (May 1st), Assumption of the Virgin (August 15th), All Saints’ Day (November 1st), Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8th), Christmas, and Santo Stefano (December 26th).

Language

The official language of Italy is Standard Italian, a direct descendant of Latin and a descendant of Tuscan dialect.  English is usually understood at most hotels, museums, and restaurants that cater to tourists.

Climate:

Summer is warm everywhere in Italy and can be unpleasantly hot in the south.  Fortunately, humidity tends to be low compared to the United States.  Winters in the north are cold and, at times, snowy, but the south remains fairly mild throughout winter.

Fun Facts About Italy

• For delicious and quick snacks, visit a bar.  Most bars in Italy function mainly as cafes.  Enotecas are wine bars that offer finger foods and wide range of regional wines.
• In 2005, Italy banned smoking in public places, including bars and restaurants. 
• Rail travel is a wonderful, inexpensive way to travel through Italy.
• Traditional Italian menus consist of multiple courses including antipasto, primo, secondo, contorno, dolce, caffe, and digestivo.
• It is customary to tip service personnel in Italy.  In hotels, a service charge is already added to the bill, but still leave something for the chambermaid and bellhop.  In restaurants, a 15% service charge is usually included, but add a bit if the service warranted it.
• Northern Italian cooking relies on more butter and cream, while southern cooking uses more tomatoes and olive oil.
• If you drive in Italy, remember to pass on the left.
• The two largest islands in the Mediterranean, Sicily and Sardinia, are parts of Italy.
• Tourism is a crucial part of the Italian economy.  Over 37 million tourists visit the country every year.
• Italy holds two independent enclaves within its borders: San Marino and Vatican City.  Campione d’Italia is an Italian enclave in Switzerland.
• Southern regions of Italy are known for their excellent mozzarella and pecorino cheeses.
• 1.3 million Italians speak Sardinian, a Romance language with many pre-Latin words.
• Italy has the 7th largest economy in the world.
• Italy has no legal drinking age for buying or consuming alcohol.
• Pizza varies across Italy; in Rome, it tends to have thin, cracker-like crusts, while Naples and Sicily offer thicker pizzas.
• Popular sports in Italy include soccer, cycling, and auto racing.