Practical Considerations When In Italy: Do's and Don'ts

	Index
	Preparation	Insurance	Frequent Flyer	Driving	Driving Etiquette
	Gas & Tolls	Parking	Security	Money	Packing
	Personal Comfort	Tourist Offices	Telephones	Shopping	Hours of Business

 

Preparations & Documentation: Do purchase a copy of Let's Go Italy , St. Martins Press and read the initial chapter entitled "Planning Your Trip". The chapter alone is worth the price of the time-tested paperback. Do make (multiple) photo copies of all irreplaceable documents: passport, plane tickets, rental agreement. Keep them in a safe and separate place from the originals. Insurance: Do purchase trip cancellation/interruption insurance. Refund policies are very strict. And the airlines will refund the cost of nonrefundable tickets only in cases of extreme medical problems with proper documentation. You can get the insurance (which is reasonably priced) from your travel agent, or from Italian Sojourns Inc. Frequent Flyer: Do get into the Frequent Flyer program of the airline you are using and report your mileage before you go. Driving: Do purchase an International Driver's License from AAA. Though you are legally able to drive in Italy with your US driver's license, the I.D.L. is translated into Italian, has your picture, and is very helpful if you are pulled over by the police. It is quite common for the blue-uniformed Carabinieri to stand at both entrances and exits to the major toll roads and randomly stop motorists . Don't be alarmed if this happens to you, be polite, even if the machine-gun toting Carabiniere is not, and always have your passport, I.D.L, and car rental documentation handy in the glove box. The I.D.L price varies from city to city, generally starting at around $20. [back to index] Driving Etiquette: Do try to conform to Italian driving etiquette and don't expect Italians to follow American practices. Here are some tips: Seat-belts are required. Do not drink and drive: penalties are very severe. On the autostrade (freeways) stay in the right-hand lane unless passing. If someone comes up behind you and honks or flashes lights don't be offended. Attempt to pull slightly over and let them pass. You may not make a R-hand turn at a red light after stopping as in the US. Italians generally do not come to a full stop at a stop sign. Always be alert and expect the unexpected (especially on side-roads expect animals, bicyclists, stopped vehicles, poorly lighted and signed roads, etc.) White arrows on blue background generally mark entrances to roadways; all national freeways (autostrade) signs are green while secondary roads and provincial highways (superstrade) are blue. Yellow signs generally indicate wineries, museums, hospitality, restaurants, and other cultural features. Generally access to freeways is limited: entrances/exits only once every few miles which can be a problem if you miss the correct exit. The max. speed limit on autostrade (freeways) is 130/kph (ca. 80/mph) but many exceed this; Italian drivers can be very aggressive but are generally in control and very alert; driving speeds on all roads tend to be higher than in the US. [back to index] Roads are generally very good quality but (especially side roads) can be very narrow and poorly lit. Gas is very expensive (ca. $5.00/gal.) but the efficient European car models get good mileage. There are tolls on all the major autostrade (freeways). Generally you will take a toll-ticket from an automated ticket dispenser when you enter the toll booth area (as you approach the toll booth area watch for green lights indicating which one is open). When you exit you will hand the tollbooth attendant your ticket and s/he will flash the charge on a screen next to the attendant's window. If you plan on driving the autostrade regularly and find that handling money is a chore, you can purchase Viacards at the cashiers in the auto grills along the autostrade. The Viacards come in denominations of 20,000 Lire and larger and as you pass through the toll gate you introduce the card into the automated teller which subtracts the correct toll from the card. It's a good idea to keep an extra Viacard hand so that you won't be caught short. Finally, as you approach the toll area always look ahead for sign indicating the Viacard symbol - if the toll booth does not have this symbol you will need to pay cash instead. Parking is always a problem. The historic centers of most towns of any size are closed to regular traffic so you will need to park in lots (always marked by a large letter "P") just outside the center. In the major cities most parking will be paid parking ("parcheggio a pagamento") where you will pay either an attendant or metering device. Never leave valuables in the car. Avoid driving in major cities such as Rome, Florence, Milan, and even some of the smaller provincial towns such as Perugia or Siena can be difficult. Since Italy has very good local bus service it may be best to drive to the nearest small town and catch a bus into the city for the day: your and your car will be safer and you won't waste time and energy looking for difficult to find parking. It is also possible to catch trains from many of the smaller towns. [Back to index] Security: Do use a money belt to protect your passport and cash/credit cards. This is especially important while you are in transit between the US and Italy. Once you arrive at your destination you should generally only carry sufficient funds for the day and leave the rest safely at the hotel or pensione. A good general rule to follow: if possible leave anything expensive home; while traveling keep anything valuable under your clothes. But as a tourist you are a marked person. If you have any special camera equipment please be very careful in any crowd in the larger cities such as Florence or Rome. Don't hang anything from the body which can be easily torn or cut away. Personal safety is not a concern. Money: Do use your credit or debit card with 4-digit pin number to make ATM cash withdrawals. Generally you get as good or better exchange rates than that offered by banks when changing traveler's checks, you avoid the bank's service charge, and you avoid the long lines and time-consuming hassles of Italian banks. Some banks charge per transaction, but in general this should be less annoying than the aggravation of changing money in banks. ATMs are found everywhere now in Italy. There may be a daily max. withdrawal amount allowed, so you may want a second card as well. It is probably best to check with each issuing bank to check charges and maximum withdrawal amounts. Have a backup card ready in case you lose one, or if there is some problem with one of them. Paying down your credit card balance to zero (or even creating a credit balance) is a good idea so that you won't be faced with overdrawing your credit limit. A few hundred dollars in traveler's checks is not a bad idea as a backup source of funds. Taking $200-$300 worth of Lire with you as ready spending money is wise. [Back to index] Packing: Do pack lightly. If you wonder whether you will need an item or not, leave it home. It is much better to find that you need something you left home and buy it in Italy, than to carry something with you for 2 weeks and never end up using it. Personal Comfort: A good pair of earplugs can help you get a good night's sleep. You may be sleeping in a number of different places during your trip (747's, hotels on main street with lot's of traffic, country villas with barking dogs, crowing roosters, farm equipment, you get the idea). Also, your diet will be changing, hopefully for the better, but probably will be less regular, possibly containing less fiber. So take some laxative pills and get back on a regular schedule as soon as possible. Always eat as much fresh fruit as possible or other products with good roughage content. Do take a first aid kit. Tourist Offices: Do stop at the APT (Azienda Promozione Turismo - Tourist Office) in any city you visit to pick up free tourist information, maps, etc. These are usually located in or near the main piazza of each town. Telephones: Do purchase a telephone card (carta telefonica) to make local phone calls at public (orange) phones. These can be purchased from newsstands, from some Tobacconist shops (signed with a large black letter "T" outside) on many streets, and sometimes in bars. [Back to index] The cards cost 5,000 or 10,000 Lire and are reusable. There are directions for using the cards on the orange colored telephones which also accept coins (usually 200 Lire per local call). Always have a second card handy so that you won't be caught in the middle of an important phone call when the first card expires. Finding a phone in Italy is sometimes tricky. In most cases the local bar will have a phone of some kind. There are 2 kinds of phones you may see when you go into a bar (or elsewhere): The orange public phones accepting either the phone card or coins (described above). These are most common. Telefono a scatti. This type of phone is in an enclosed booth. Charges are registered on a counter behind the barista and you will check with him/her before you start your call. S/he will tell you the charge when you have finished. GSM cell phone. Another option of which many travelers are now availing themselves is to rent an international GSM cell phone. This is less economical than using the traditional phone card, but definitely more convenient, and, if you need to be in constant contact with home, provides the most peace-of-mind. Please let Italian Sojourns know if you need help renting a cell phone. Local calls should cost the same as the orange public phones (i.e. 200 Lire). But the bar operator may tack on an additional service charge. In general the telefoni a scatti are not as common as public phones, but are much more pleasant to use because the booth blocks background noise, which can at times be considerable. In addition, phone line sound quality can also be a problem, which makes it even more important to have a quiet environment. The telefono a scatti will probably be more satisfactory for any international calls you need to make. The easiest way to call the US collect is by calling the AT&T (172 10 11) or MCI (172 10 22) operators who will dial your number for you; or you can use your calling card but be very careful about giving out your card number. There have been instances where charges were billed to accounts for calls not made! [back to index] Shopping: Do be aware of the "turno" or closure day of the traditional stores and shops (butcher's, fruit and vegetable store, even bars and pharmacies). Each region has laws regulating which days they will close. All pharmacies might be closed on Mondays, for example; or all fruit and vegetable stores might be closed on Wednesdays. Usually the closure is listed somewhere prominently in the store or at the entry. Other things to consider: Most shops close at 1:00 (13:00) and don't reopen until 4:00 or 4:30 (16:00 or 16:30). Each town and village will also have a day set aside for the open-air market. These can be very enjoyable to visit but will make movement in a car nearly impossible. The traditional smaller shops are now being replaced by supermarkets (supermercato) much like those in America. UPIM, CONAD, STANDA are some of the larger chains. These have more continuous and expanded hours, and are sometimes even open on Sunday. Prices are generally lower than the traditional stores and markets, if lacking in personal attention. When shopping for fruits and vegetables in traditional stores let the attendant help you; the client does not generally touch the produce. Hours of Business: Do try to check in advance the hours for restaurants and museums. Many museums will be closed afternoons and on Mondays. Always check hours in advance in guides, at local tourist bureaus (APT) in the centers of most towns, or in major train stations. [Back to index] Strikes: Do occasionally glance at the local newspaper. If you observe the word sciopero (strike) try to find out what services will be affected and for how long.

 

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