Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Communications and Media
Payphones are few and far between in
Italy, as access to Internet services and the
use of mobile phones have increased. Pre-
paid long-distance telephone cards are also
now increasingly used by visitors. The
postal service in Italy, once dogged by
slow service, is much improved and also
offers relatively fast courier services.
Italians produce a lot of magazines
(though fewer newspapers), and
international and foreign-language print material can be
found in areas catering to large numbers of tourists.
REACHING THE RIGHT
NUMBER
• City dialling codes are:
Florence 055;
Siena 0577;
Pisa 050;
Viareggio 0584;
Arezzo 0575;
Lucca 0583;
Pistoia 0573.
• Mobile dialling codes
begin with 3 (no 0).
• International operator
assistance is on 170.
You can place reverse
charge and credit card
calls on this number.
•
See also
Emergency
Numbers,
p301
.
Sign outside a
tabacchi
shop
INTERNATIONAL AND
LOCAL TELEPHONE CALLS
The growing use of mobile
phones in Italy has caused a
cutback in public telephone
services. Telecom Italia no
longer has telephone offices,
although there are some
privately operated calling
centres offering international
phone services. Payphones
are rare on the street,
although there should be
working payphones at train
stations and airports. To use a
public payphone you need to
purchase a Telecom Italia
scheda telefonica
card at any
tabacchi
or newsagent. Insert
the card before making a
call. You can also use a
pre-paid long-distance
calling card in public
payphones (without
using a Telecom
scheda
), also available
from
tabacchi
. These
have an 800 number
on the back and a
scratch-off code.
When dialling locally, city
landline numbers start with a
0. To make a long-distance
call, dial 00, followed by the
country code and area code,
before dialling the number. If
using a long-distance calling
card, use the 800 number pro-
vided, dial the country and area
codes (without the 00 prefix),
and then dial the number.
You can usually make
landline phone calls from
your hotel, although these are
expensive - ask for a price
list if it is not displayed. You
can also use long-distance
calling cards with hotel phones
- it should be free to connect.
Most private apartment rentals
Telephone company logo
and
agriturismos
do not have
phones in guest rooms. Faxes
can be sent from post offices,
copy centres,
cartolerie
(paper/office stores) and
Internet points.
Italian SIM and use it in your
phone. Alternatively, set up a
roaming agreement with your
provider. If using a roaming
plan, be sure to top up your
credit before leaving home.
If you are travelling from
North America, Australia or
New Zealand, a tri-band/
GSM phone should, techni-
cally, work in Italy. Check
with your phone operator
about roaming charges.
When using an Italian
mobile phone, note that calls
between phones using the
same provider may cost less
than calls to mobile phones
serviced by other providers,
depending on the package
you signed up to. Long-
distance rates are usually high
but you can use a long-
distance calling card with
your mobile phone - calls
will still cost more than from
a landline, however.
MOBILE PHONES
The cost of mobile phones
and services has reduced to
such an extent that it can now
make sense to buy a mobile
phone in Italy if you are
visiting the country for more
than one week and intend
to use your phone a
lot. The two major
providers,
Tim
and
Vodafone
, sell basic
phones for around
€30, including a SIM
card with €5 credit.
You can purchase
additional credit from
any
tabbachi
, newsagent or
mobile phone store (be sure
to specify the carrier name).
To buy a mobile phone, you
will need to bring a copy of
your passport. When you
purchase a new SIM card, you
need to make a 1 minute call
to a landline or other mobile
phone in order to activate it,
which can take up to 24
hours. However, it is possible
to buy an unlocked Italian
mobile phone and SIM online
if you wish to get set up
before your trip. The SIM
usually expires one year from
your last top up.
If you have an unlocked
phone from the UK or
Europe, you can purchase an
Public payphone
sign
INTERNET AND WI-FI
Increasing numbers of hotels
and businesses are providing
free or paid Internet services
to their customers, and some
Italian cities plan to offer free
Wi-Fi for residents and
tourists. You will be required
to complete a brief registra-
tion process to use any
Internet service in Italy. If
your hotel Internet service is
fast, Skype calls via your
laptop will be perfectly
viable; calls to landlines will
require a small cash credit.
Skype also allows you to
