In the Country

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Italy: In the Country

Eating Out

Rules For Eating Out: Restaurants generally open at 12 noon for lunch and at 7pm for dinner. You ask for the bill and pay after the meal.

Food Specialties: Italian cuisine is internationally renowned for its use of quality olive oil and for its pasta.

Antipasto is considered to be the traditional hors-d'oeuvre and means ‘before the meal’. The contents of antipasto vary considerably by region, but often include some of the following: cured meats, olives, anchovies, artichoke hearts, various cheeses, various cured meats and vegetables marinated in olive oil (aubergines, peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, etc.).
Some famous dishes include: marinated aubergines, aubergines parmigiana (aubergines baked with Parmesan and mozzarella), asparagus with Parmigiano Reggiano, broccoli alla romana, scalopina alla milanese, pizza, risotto alla Milanese or a wide variety of pasta dishes (lasagne, spaghetti, ravioli, etc.).

Desserts often vary by region, but some famous examples include: tiramisu, zabaione (or zabaglione), cassata, panna cotta and gelato.

There is a wide variety of quality cheeses to be found in Italy such as: Gorgonzola, Parmesan, mozzarella, mascarpone, ricotta and many others.
Drinks: Italian wines are well-known abroad. They are named according to region of origin and type of grape. Some famous examples include Chianti (Tuscany), Nobile di Montepulciano (Tuscany), Brunello (Tuscany), Frascati (Rome), Albano (Rome), Barolo (Valle d’Aosta), Valpolicella (Vento), Cabernet (Friuli-Venezia) and Pinot Nero (Friuli- Venezia).

The most well-known aperitifs are Campari and PunteMes. Among well-known Italian liqueurs, one can choose from Amaretto, Limoncello, Grappa and Strega.

Italians often enjoy drinking a coffee or a cappuccino in a bar, usually in a hurry. Young people like going to bars in the afternoon for a tea or an aperitif. You can find plenty of bars, wine bars, pubs, etc. ready to serve aperitifs from 6pm until dinner time.
Dietary Restrictions: There are no dietary restrictions in the country.
Table Manners: When you go into a restaurant, you must wait for the waiter (or waitress) to seat you. You sit at a table and you always eat with cutlery. You wait for the waiter to change the plates and ask if you want anything else. At the end of the meal, you ask for the bill, which you pay at the table or directly at the cash desk.

Getting Around

Means of Transport Recommended in Town

Urban transport services: Transport Agency in Rome
ATM - Transport Agency in Milan
Find an Itinerary: Calculate your journey
Find an itinerary in Milan
Find an itinerary in Palermo
Taxi services: Italian taxi association

Transportation From Airport to City Centre:

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car Rental
Roma - Ciampino (CIA)	15 km / 13 miles	EUR 40 / 25-40 min	EUR 8 / 40 min	EUR 1	Available
Roma - Fiumicino (FCO)	30 km / 18 miles	EUR 48 / 25-40 min	EUR 8 / 45 min	EUR 14	Available
Milano - Malpensa (MXP)	43 km / 27 miles	EUR 70-90 / 45-60 min	EUR 5 / 50 min	EUR 11 / 30-40 min	Available
Napoli - Capodichino (NAP)	6 km / 4 miles	EUR 20 / 20-35 min	EUR 18 / 20-25 min	-	Available

Means of Transport Recommended in the Rest of the Country

Train reservation services: Italian Railway Company

Major airlines

Name	Type	Domestic Flights	International Flights
ITA Airways	Major	Yes	Yes
Neos Air	Low Cost	Yes	Yes
Ryanair	Low Cost	Yes	Yes

You Can Consult The EU Air Safety List. Look Also at the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Travelling By Yourself

Car rental agencies: To rent a car in Italy
Real-time traffic conditions: Traffic conditions in Italy (in English)

Rules of the Road

National Roads Organizations: Società autostrade per l'Italia (Italian motorway company)
Automobile Club of Italy

Time and Time Difference

Current Local Time: It is %T:%M %A In Rome, Milan
Summer Time: Summer time is from March to October.

Map of the Time Zone

Fuseau(x) horaire

Climate

Type of Climate: There is a mountain climate in the North, a continental climate in the plains and a Mediterranean climate in the coastal regions. On average, temperatures vary between 11°C and 19°C.
Hotel reservation websites: Italian Meteorological website

Average Annual Temperatures and Rainfall

Climate

Electrical Standards and Measurement Systems

System of Measurement Used: Metric system
Unit of Measurement of Temperature: Degrees Celsius (°C)

Use our service Measurement Converter.

Electricity
Voltage: 230 V
Frequency: 50 Hz
Type of Electric Socket: C, F & L
Type of Telephone Socket: Italian (2 types), US RJ-11
DVD Zoning: Zone 2

Paying

Domestic Currency: Euro
ISO Code: EUR
To Obtain Domestic Currency: There are no ATMs, but instead small bureaus with a sign saying 'change'. You can find these in all the larger towns, but they are not as common in small villages.
Possible Means of Payment: You can pay in cash or with a credit card (Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa). Checks are also taken, but they must be in EUR, GBP or USD.

To Find a Cash Machine Where You Need, Use the ATM locator

Speaking

Official Language: Italian is the official language, but there are some regions with linguistic minority groups, including Alto Adige (German) and Aoste (French).
Other Languages Spoken: The use of dialects is very common in Italy. Albanian is spoken by approximately 120,000 people (80,000 of which reside in southern Italy). Approximately 1.2 million people in Sardinia speak Sardinian, with 20,000 in the northeast also speaking Gallurese.
Business Language: An increasing number of Italians have some knowledge of English, but it is advisable to correspond in Italian for initial contact. This could speed up communication and help avoid misunderstandings. In any case, most firms are able to communicate in English.

Emergency Numbers

Police	113
Ambulance	118
Firemen	115
European Assistance	803803
Fire Prevention	1515

Communications

Telephone Codes: To Make a Call From Italy, Dial 00
To Make a Call to in Italy, Dial +39
Mobile Telephone Standards: The mobile phones used are GPRS.
National Mobile Phone Operators: Vodafone, Tim, WindTre.

Availability of Internet

Internet Suffix: .it
National Internet Access Providers: Tim, Fastweb, Vodafone, Tiscali, Windtre

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