Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Drugs & Alcohol
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Under Italy's tough drug laws, possession of any controlled substances, including cannabis, can get you into hot water.
Those caught in possession of 5g of cannabis can be considered traffickers and prosecuted as such. The same applies to
tiny amounts of other drugs. Those caught with amounts below this threshold can be subject to minor penalties.
»
The legal limit for blood-alcohol level is 0.05% and random breath tests do occur.
Your Rights
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You should be given verbal and written notice of the charges laid against you within 24 hours by the arresting officers.
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You have no right to a phone call upon arrest.
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The prosecutor must apply to a magistrate for you to be held in preventive custody awaiting trial (depending on the
seriousness of the offence) within 48 hours of arrest.
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You have the right not to respond to questions without the presence of a lawyer. If the magistrate orders preventive
custody, you have the right to then contest this within the following 10 days.
Maps
The city maps in Lonely Planet guides, combined with the good, free local maps available at most Italian tourist offices,
will be sufficient for many travellers. For more specialised maps, browse the good selection at the national bookshop
chain Feltrinelli, or consult the websites below.
Touring Club Italiano
(TCI;
www.touringclub.com
) Italy's largest map publisher operates shops around Italy and pub-
lishes decent 1:500,000 and 1:200,000 maps of Italy (€11.90 and €19.90 respectively), plus a series of 15 regional maps
at 1:200,000 (€7.90 each) and an exhaustive series of walking guides with maps, co-published with the Club Alpino
Italiano (CAI).
Stanfords
(
www.stanfords.co.uk
) Excellent UK-based shop that stocks many useful maps.
Omni Resources
(
www.omnimap.com
)
US-based online retailer with an impressive selection of Italian maps.
Money
Italy's currency is the euro. The seven euro notes come in denominations of €500, €200, €100, €50, €20, €10 and €5.
The eight euro coins are in denominations of €2 and €1, and 50, 20, 10, five, two and one cents.
For exchange rates and on-the-road costs,
Click here
.
Credit & Debit Cards
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ATMs (called 'Bancomats') are widely available throughout southern Italy and are the best way to obtain local cur-
rency. International credit and debit cards can be used in any ATM displaying the appropriate sign.
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Visa and MasterCard are among the most widely recognised cards, but others like Cirrus and Maestro are also well
covered. Only some banks give cash advances over the counter, so you're better off using ATMs.
