ITALY. Travel Documents, Health Care, Vaccinations, Electricity, Telephones and Internet, Money and Banks, Shopping, Typical Products

USEFUL INFORMATION FOR A TRAVEL TO ITALY

ITALY

Travel Documents: European Union citizens need just to show their identity card at the time of entry in Italy. For tourists arriving from non-EU countries, in particular from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United States, you won’t need to ask for a tourist visa if your stay in Italy lasts less than 90 days. For all other tourists, you will need to obtain a tourist visa even for shorter visits. Entry visas, which are generally valid for 90 days, can be granted for a maximum of six months.

Health: Healthcare in Italy is good. First Aid Service (Pronto Soccorso) with a doctor on hand is found at airports, ports, railway stations and in all hospitals. Medicines can be obtained only from the pharmacy, whether they are on prescription or over the counter.

Tourists requiring urgent medical care should go to the nearest hospital emergency room (airports and many train stations also have medical teams and first aid facilities). Those with serious illnesses or allergies should always carry a special note from their physicians certifying in detail the treatments in progress or that may be necessary.

A citizen of EU member state with the European Health Card (EHC) will receive the same temporary healthcare services as any other Italian citizen. Before departure, it is advisable to procure a document certifying coverage by the national health-care service. Italy has no medical program covering U.S. and Canada citizens. Therefore, U.S. and Canadian tourists are advised to take out an insurance policy before traveling.

No vaccinations are required to enter Italy.

Pharmacies (Farmacia), generally follow shops times (approx. from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 3:00 to 7:30 p.m., Monday to Saturday, but in large cities many are open no-stop. Night-time service is provided on a shift basis. Business hours and night shifts are displayed outside of each chemist's (they are also published in local papers).

Public telephones are available throughout Italy. Either local or international calls require the use of a phone card (Carta Telefonica) which may be purchased at any newsstand, tobacco shop or bar (coffee shop).

Mobile Telephones: The mobile phone system in Italy is GSM 900/1800. The three main Italian operators are TIM, Vodaphone and WIND.

Internet: Hotspots have been established in most major hotels so that you can access the Internet, and more and more hotels are also offering connections from their rooms. There are Internet cafés in almost all Italian town and villages. Several tourist offices and also public libraries have internet connections.

Money and Banks: Euro is the money of Italy. Euro is divided as follows: bills of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 Euro; coins of 1, 2, 5, 10 Euro, 20 and 50 cents.

Euros can be obtain at any bank, ATM machines, or exchange office (Ufficio di Cambio) at airports, seaports and railway stations in the main cities.

The ATM (Automatic Teller Machines) in Italy are known as Bancomat. There are many to be found in the large cities and even in small towns. Using a credit card, or even better, a debit card or your local bank ATM card is very easy.

In major Italian cities and tourist areas traveler checks are accepted. Travelers checks can be exchanged for Euro at most hotels and shops and at the foreign exchange offices in main railway stations and at the airports.

Banking Hours: Banks in Italy are open Monday through Friday from 8:35 a.m. to 1:35 p.m. and from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.; in many tourist areas they are open no-stop from 8.30 a.m. to 4p.m. and closed all day on Saturday and Sunday and on national holidays. The afternoon one hour opening may vary from city to city.

Electricity: Current may be either 220 or 125 volts AC. The Continental two-round-pin plug is standard.

Shopping hours: Although normally shops are open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3:30/4 p.m. to 7:30/ 8 p.m., in large cities and tourist areas there is a tendency to stay open from 9.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. with possible variations from town to town. Department stores such as La Rinascente, Coin, Upim, Pam, Esselunga, Carrefour, Panorama, Coop* are found in many Italian cities and towns and are open from 9.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.

Post Office Hours: Post Offices are open from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. On Saturdays they close at 12:00. Post Offices at airports and main Post Offices in large cities are open 24 hours a day for registered mail and telegram services.

Typical products: Clothes for men and women (dresses, shoes, gloves, silk ties, shirts); lacework, jewellery, leather goods (handbags, cases, boxes, luggage), ceramics, gold and silver items, alabaster, woodwork, straw, embroidery, glass and crystal ware; wine, olive oil, food.

Cuisine: Italian cuisine is extremely varied, its cuisines reflect the cultural variety of its regions and its diverse history, each area has its own proud specialties, primarily at regional level, but also even at provincial level, Italian cuisine is not only highly regionalised, it is very seasonal. Pizza, Pasta (Spaghetti, Tortellini, Orecchiette, Ravioli, Tagliatelle etc), Risotto, Polenta, Cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, Pecorino, Mozzarella), Meat, Fish, Cakes (Panettone, Pandoro, Tiramisu, Cassata, Pastiera, Gelato (Ice-cream) etc) Wines etc. Most Italian wines of great renown are produced in three main Italian regions: Tuscany (Chianti, Brunello), Piedmont (Barolo) and Veneto (Amarone, Pinot Grigio). A traditional Italian menu consists of: antipasto (hot or cold appetizers); primo (usually consists of a hot dish like pasta, risotto, gnocchi, polenta or soup); secondo (the main dish, usually fish or meat) with contorno (may consist of a salad or vegetables); dolce ("dessert"); caffè (espresso); digestivo (which is liquors/liqueurs: grappa, amaro, limoncello). ITALIAN CUISINE RECIPES.

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