Emergency Telephone Numbers

Dial 112 for Carabinieri's serviceDial 113 for the police service. Dial 115 for the fire department. Dial 116 for the A.C.I. (Italian Automobile Club) - for road side assistance. Dial 118 for Medical Emergency

Public Telephones

Public telephones are available throughout Italy. A local call from a public telephone requires the use of a 200 lire coins or calling cards (carta telefonica), available at tobacco shops, news stands or bar (coffee shops) for the value of 5.000 or 10.000 Lire. Note that many public telephones only accept calling cards; little less numerous are the ones accepting credit cards. When phoning in within the city, always dial the area code before the number. Example: to call a Rome number dial 06+ telephone number.

Long distance Calls (Interurbana)

Calls between major cities can be dialed directly on the public telephone by using the proper area code number. The use of calling cards is strongly recommended. Calls from Italy to the U.S. and Canada can be dialed directly (dial 01 plus area code plus phone number).

Area Code (Prefisso Telefonico)

Following are the area code numbers for some of the principal cities of Italy. Example - a call from New York to Rome would be dialed as follows:

Country Direct Service

From phones in major cities, to connect to a US long distance service, dial:
1721011 for AT&T
1721022 for MCI
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. When calling from pay telephones, just insert 200 lire coin. 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 & Rates

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

Cost The following only estimates. Postcards to U.S. and Canada around 1200 Lire Letters (20 grams) around 1200 Lire. Each additional (20 grams) around 400 Lire. Aerograms for all countries around 850 Lir

Post Office Hours