Area Codes -- The country code for Italy is 39. Every city and its surrounding towns have a separate city code. The code for most of the Florence area is 055; Livorno is 0586; Lucca is 0583; Perugia is 075; and Pisa is 050.
Business Hours -- General open hours for stores, offices, and churches are from 9:30am to noon or 1pm and again from 3 or 3:30pm to 7pm. That early-afternoon shutdown is the riposo, the Italian siesta. Most stores close all day Sunday and many also on Monday (morning only or all day). Some services and business offices are open to the public only in the morning. Traditionally, museums are closed Mondays, and although some of the biggest stay open all day long, many close for riposo or are only open in the morning (9am-2pm is popular). Banks tend to be open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 1:30pm and 2:30 to 3:30pm or 3 to 4pm.
Drinking Laws -- There is no legal drinking age in Italy in the sense that a young person of any age can legally consume alcohol, but a person must be 16 years old in order to be served alcohol in a restaurant or a bar. Similarly, laws in other countries that exist in order to stamp out public drunkenness simply aren't quite as necessary in Italy where binge-drinking is unusual. (In fact, it doesn't take a very keen observer in Florence to note that most of the loud drunks at night aren't Italian.) Noise is the primary concern to city officials, and so bars generally close at 2am at the latest, although alcohol is commonly served in clubs after that. Bars in Florence will stop take-out sales at midnight. Supermarkets generally carry beer, wine, and sometimes spirits.
Electricity -- Italy operates on a 220 volts AC (50 cycles) system (equivalent to the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand), as opposed to the United States' 110 volts AC (60 cycle) system. You'll need a simple adapter plug (to make flat pegs fit their round holes) and, unless your appliance is dual-voltage (as most electronic devices are), an electrical currency converter. You can pick up the hardware at electronics, travel specialty stores, luggage shops, airports, and from Magellan's catalog (www.magellans.com).
Embassies & Consulates -- The U.S. Embassy is in Rome at Via Vittorio Veneto 121 (tel. 06-46-741; fax 06-488-2672; http://italy.usembassy.gov). The U.S. consulate in Florence -- for passport and consular services but not for visas -- is at Lungarno Vespucci 38 (tel. 055-266-951; fax 055-284-088; http://florence.usconsulate.gov), open to drop-ins Monday through Friday from 9am to 12:30pm. Afternoons 2 to 4:30pm, the consulate is open by appointment only; call ahead. The U.K. Embassy is in Rome at Via XX Settembre 80a (tel. 06-4220-0001; fax 06-4220-2334; http://ukinitaly.fco.gov.uk/it), open Monday through Friday from 9:15am to 1:30pm. The U.K. consulate in Florence is at Lungarno Corsini 2 (tel. 055-284-133; fax 055-219-112). It's open Monday to Friday from 9:30am to 12:30pm and 2:30 to 4:30pm.
Of English-speaking countries, only the United States and Great Britain have consulates in Florence. Citizens of other countries must go to their consulates in Rome for help: The Canadian consulate in Rome is at Via Zara 30, on the fifth floor (tel. 06-445-981 or 06-85444-3937; www.canadainternational.gc.ca/italy-italie), open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 12:30pm and 1:30 to 4pm. Australia's consulate in Rome is at Via Antonio Bosio 5 (tel. 06-852-721; fax 06-8527-2300; www.italy.embassy.gov.au). The consular section is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30am to noon and 1:30 to 4pm. The immigration and visa office is open Monday to Thursday from 10am to noon; telephone hours are from 10 to 11:30am. New Zealand's consulate in Rome is at Via Clitunno 44 (tel. 06-853-7501; fax 06-440-2984; www.nzembassy.com/italy), open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 12:45pm and 1:45 to 5pm.
Emergencies -- If you experience an emergency, dial tel. 113, Italy's general emergency number. For an ambulance, call tel. 118. You can also call tel. 112 for the carabinieri (police), or tel. 115 for the fire department. If your car breaks down, dial tel. 116 for roadside aid courtesy of the Automotive Club of Italy.
Hospitals -- Thanks to its tax-funded universal health care (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale), you can walk into almost any Italian hospital when ill and get taken care of speedily with no insurance questions asked, no forms to fill out, and no fee charged. They'll just give you a prescription and send you on your way. The Tuscan Health Service is the regional authority (tel. 800-556-060; www.salute.toscana.it). In Florence, the most central hospital is Santa Maria Nuova, a block northeast of the Duomo on Piazza Santa Maria Nuova (tel. 055-27-581), open 24 hours. For a free translator to help you describe your symptoms, explain the doctor's instructions, or aid in medical issues in general, call the volunteers at the Associazione Volontari Ospedalieri (AVO; tel. 055-234-4567; www.federavo.it) Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 4 to 6pm and Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to noon.
Insurance -- Italy may be one of the safer places you can travel in the world, but accidents and setbacks can and do happen, from lost luggage to car crashes.
For information on traveler's insurance, trip cancelation insurance, and medical insurance while traveling, visit www.frommers.com/planning.
Language -- Italians may not be quite as polished with their English as some of their European counterparts, but Tuscany and Umbria in particular have been hosting Anglophones for a long time now, and English is a regular part of any business day. In Florence and other cities, you will probably be the 20th English-speaking tourist they've spoken with that day. In very rural parts, slow and clear speech, a little gesticulating, and a smile will go a long way -- but learn a few words of Italian and you will always receive a better response. A handy reference guide is Frommer's Italian PhraseFinder & Dictionary.
Legal Aid -- Your embassy or consulate can provide a list of foreign attorneys should you encounter legal problems in Italy. In criminal cases, if you cannot afford an attorney, the local court will provide one for you.
Mail -- At press time, the cost of sending a postcard or letter up to 20 grams, or a little less than an ounce, was .39€ to other European countries, and .41€ everywhere else. Sending via the Premium service is much faster -- rates are .52€ and .62€ respectively. For a full table of prices and weights, visit www.poste.it; there is an English version available for translations.
Newspapers & Magazines -- The International Herald Tribune (published by the New York Times and with news catering to Americans abroad) and USA Today are available at just about every newsstand, even in smaller towns. You can find the Wall Street Journal Europe, European editions of Time and Newsweek, the Economist, and just about any major European newspaper or magazine at the larger kiosks. Tuscany's major Italian-language daily is La Nazione, although you'll find Il Tirreno more widely read in the western part of the region. For local events guides in English, see each individual city's "Visitor Information" listing.
Packing -- For helpful information on packing for your trip, download our convenient Travel Tools app for your mobile device. Go to www.frommers.com/go/mobile and click on the "Travel Tools" icon.
Police -- For emergencies, call tel. 113. Italy has several different police forces, but there are only two you'll most likely ever need to deal with. The first is the urban polizia, whose city headquarters is called the questura and who can help with lost and stolen property. The most useful branch -- the cops to go to for serious problems and crimes -- is the carabinieri (tel. 112), a national order-keeping, crime-fighting civilian police force.
Smoking -- Smoking was banned in public places in Italy, including all restaurants and bars, offices, clubs (discos), as well as most hotels, in 2005. That said, there are still smokers in Italy, and they tend to take the outside tables. Be aware that if you are keen on an outdoor table, you are essentially choosing a seat in the smoking section, and requesting that your neighbor not smoke may not be politely received.
Taxes -- There's no sales tax added onto the price tag of your purchases, but there is a 20% value-added tax (in Italy: IVA) automatically included in just about everything. For major purchases, you can get this refunded. A very small number of hotels still don't include the special 10% hotel IVA in their quoted prices. Ask when making your reservation.
Time -- All of Italy is in the same Western European time zone; that is, GMT plus 1 hour (plus 2 hr. in officially designated "summertime," between late March and late October). For help with time translations, and more, download our convenient Travel Tools app for your mobile device. Go to www.frommers.com/go/mobile and click on the "Travel Tools" icon.
Tipping -- In hotels, a service charge is usually included in your bill. In family-run operations, additional tips are unnecessary and sometimes considered rude. In fancier places with a hired staff, however, you may want to leave a .50€ daily tip for the maid, pay the bellhop or porter 1€ per bag, and a helpful concierge 2€ for his or her troubles. In restaurants, 10% to 15% is almost always included in the bill -- to be sure, ask "è incluso il servizio?" -- but you can leave up to an additional 10%, especially for good service. At bars and cafes, tipping the barman is not expected; if you sit at a table, leave 10% to 15% only if the service is good. Taxi drivers in cities expect 10% to 15%.
For help with tip calculations, currency conversions, and more, download our convenient Travel Tools app for your mobile device. Go to www.frommers.com/go/mobile and click on the "Travel Tools" icon.
Toilets -- Public toilets in Tuscany and Umbria are practically nonexistent except at the train stations and highway gas stations, where they are sometimes pay toilets (.50€ usually does the trick). Standard practice in Italy is to pay for a .90€ cup of coffee at a bar and then ask to use the toilet -- although it's best to ask for both simultaneously as the restrooms in heavily touristed parts of Florence, Tuscany, and Umbria are sometimes "out of order."
Water -- Although most Italians take mineral water with their meals, tap water is safe everywhere. (Unsafe sources will be marked acqua non potabile.) In fact, many cities are now urging their citizens to cut back on their plastic-wasting ways and to turn back to the tap. If the water comes out cloudy, it's only the calcium or other minerals inherent in a water supply that often comes untreated from fresh springs. Also, the water from fountains in public parks is not only potable, it's often the best water you've ever tasted.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
