Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
»
Leave valuables in your hotel room and never leave them in your car.
»
If carrying a bag or camera, wear the strap across your body and away from the road - moped thieves can swipe a bag
and be gone in seconds.
»
Be vigilant for pickpockets in crowded areas, including at train stations and ferry terminals, on buses and in markets
(especially those in Naples, Palermo and Catania).
»
Never buy electronics, including mobile phones, from market vendors - one common scam sees the boxes filled with
bricks.
»
Always report thefts to the police within 24 hours, and ask for a statement, otherwise your travel insurance company
won't pay out.
Telephone
Directory Enquiries
National and international phone numbers can be requested at
1254 (or online at 1254.virgilio.it).
Domestic Calls
»
Italian telephone area codes all begin with 0 and consist of up to four digits. The area code is followed by a num-
ber of anything from four to eight digits. The area code is an integral part of the telephone number and must always be
dialled, even when calling from next door.
»
Mobile-phone numbers begin with a three-digit prefix such as
330.
»
Toll-free (free-phone) numbers are known as
numeri verdi
and usually start with
800.
»
Nongeographical numbers start with
840, 841, 848, 892, 899, 163, 166 or 199.
»
Some six-digit national rate numbers are also in use (such as those for Alitalia, rail and postal information).
»
As elsewhere in Europe, Italians choose from a host of providers of phone plans and rates, making it difficult to make
generalisations about costs.
International Calls
»
The cheapest options for calling internationally are free or low-cost computer programs/smartphone apps such as
Skype and Viber.
»
Cut-rate call centres, found in all of the main cities, are also a cheaper option. You simply place your call from a
private booth inside the centre and pay for it when you've finished.
»
International calling cards, sold at newsstands and tobacconists, also offer cheaper call rates. They can be used at pub-
lic telephones. Dial
00 to get out of Italy, then the relevant country and area codes, followed by the telephone num-
ber.
