Telephone & Mail

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Emergency Telephone Numbers 112 for Carabinieri’s service 113 for Emergency Police Help 115 for the Fire Department 118 for Medical Emergencies 803.116 for the A.C.I. (Italian Automobile Club) – for road side assistance

Cellular phones in Italy

Italy uses GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) standard service for its cell phones.

In Italy cell phone service is mostly prepaid and in order to activate a sim card with an Italian number there is no need for a deposit, credit-check or contract, you just need a valid document (passport is ok). All incoming calls, regardless of their origin, are always free and you can easily refill your account with cash or debit/credit card in any tabacchi (tobacconists; same place you get bus tickets), most bars, newsstands and ATM’s. The major cell phone carriers are: www.wind.it, www.tim.it, www.vodaphone.it and www.tre.it. The basic requirements your phone must meet to work with an Italian SIM card are:

   Your phone must be GSM – Only a tri-band (or quad-band) phone will work in Italy

   Your phone must be unlocked – To unlock your GSM phone contact your US carrier.

Public Telephones
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).

Long distance Calls (Interurbana)
Both local and long distance call require the proper area code before dialling the number. Ex: to place a call within Rome you must dial 06 + phone number.
To call Rome from Florence : 06 + phone number; to call Florence from Rome : 055 + phone number.
To call USA or Canada from Italy: 001+area code+ phone number.

Area Code (Prefisso Telefonico)
Following are the area code numbers for some of the principal cities of Italy.

Country Direct Service From phones in major cities, to connect to a US long distance service, dial: 1721011 for AT&T 1721877 for US Sprint The numbers above work for Rome, Milan, Florence, Naples, Venezia, Torino, Catania, Vicenza, Livorno, Olbia, Bologna, Brindisi, Cosenza, Formia, Genova, Latina, Padova, Palermo, Perugia, Pescara, Pordenone, Pisa, and Trieste. You automatically reach an operator in the country of destination, avoiding all language difficulty. Canada can be reached by dialing 1721001.

Internet Cafes

No matter how responsible you try to be with your phone card, you can run up
quite a bill when you call your parents/ your kids/ your significant other.
E-mail may be an alternative and less expensive mean of communication.

Whatever e-mail service you use in your daily life, I would set up web-access mail for your trip (like the mail offered by Yahoo!, Hotmail, etc.). It is the easiest to use abroad since the only software and configuration you need are built right into the browser. Set this account up before you leave home, so you don’t waste valuable time abroad.

It is getting easier and easier to find Internet cafes and clubs in Italy.

Postal Service General Delivery Service Mail can be addressed c/o Post Office by adding “FERMO POSTA” after the name of the town. The addressee can claim mail at the Central Post Office upon identification by passport.

Example: Mr. John Smith c/o Ufficio Postale Centrale FERMO POSTA 00187 Rome, Italy Stamps Stamps may be purchased only at tobacco shops and at the Post Office. Always check at the counter for the exact fare to the country of destination Post Office Hours Post Offices are open Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. On Saturdays are open 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Closed on Sundays Please note that in small town or villages the post offices are open Mon-Fri from 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.