| Italy |
Facts for the Visitor
Visas| US citizen: | No visa required, visitors permitted to stay 3 months. |
| Japanese citizen: | No visa required, visitors permitted to stay 3 months. |
| Many people in the tourism industry speak English or German. Less touristy places only speak Italian. An Italian phrasebook is recommended. |
| Available everywhere. Most are on the Plus and Cirrus networks. |
| US$ 1 = 2295 Italian Lira (ITL) on June 11, 2001. Currency will change to the Euro on January 1, 2002. |
| 220V, 50Hz. Plugs have 2 round pins. |
| International Certificates of Vaccination are not required. |
| When a 10% - 15% service charge is included on restaurant a bill, there is no need to leave extra. When the bill doesn't include a service charge, a 10% tip is customary. In addition to service charges, most restaurants have a table charge ranging between ITL 500 - 4000 per person. |
| A wide selection of youth hostels, bed and breakfasts, hotels, apartments, and rooms in private houses are available. The tourist information offices in each town are helpful and will provide a list of phone numbers within your desired price range. |
| Public telephones use Telecom Italia pre-paid telephone cards available at newsstands and kiosks. The cards come in ITL 5000 and 10,000 denominations. Break off the top serrated corner of the phone card before use. |
| The train and bus infrastructures are excellent. Generally, trains are faster than buses. Schedules are usually available at tourist information offices and always available at train and bus stations. | |
| Rome 1-day Pass: | In Rome, the ITL 6000 1-day ticket is valid on all public transport (metro and bus) in and around the city. No matter what time during the day the ticket is first used, it expires at midnight. As a comparison, a one-way ticket costs ITL 1500. A second one-way ticket is required if transferring between the metro and bus, even if traveling in the same direction. |
Copyright © 2000-2002 Wes and Masami Heiser. All rights reserved.