Page 16 - DK Eyewitness: Back Roads Northern and Central Italy (Travel Guide)

14 BACK ROADS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ITALY

The Telephone System credit cards, but prices are often
In Italy, the city phone code is an incredibly expensive.
integral part of every number and A good alternative to public
italian-newspapers-B8N941 always has to be dialled. So in calling phone booths are the numerous
Italy from abroad, the initial zero of call centres (usually found around
the city code must be retained. the stations of larger towns) from
Italy has more mobile phones per which local migrant workers often
head of population than anywhere phone home. The international
in Europe except Finland. European rates are competitive, you pay
mobiles will work in Italy, but when you’ve finished and you Above Popular Italian newspapers
Americans will need a tri-band don’t have to contend with the
phone. Coverage is generally good, noise of passing traffic. Banks and Money
although it can be patchy near some Italy is one of the many European
of the higher mountain ranges. Internet countries whose currency is the
Check with your provider for With the increasing availability of euro. The euro is split into 100 cents.
roaming options and high-speed internet (ADSL) and There are seven euro notes (€5, €10,
international booster Wi-Fi, most hotels and many €20, €50, €100, €200 and €500) and
packages, which greatly cafés have somewhere eight euro coins (€2, €1; and 1, 2, 5,
reduce the cost of you can access the web; 10, 20 and 50 cents).
phone and data travellers with their own The easiest way of drawing cash
charges while you’re laptop will probably is to use a debit or credit card at a
abroad. Roaming need a plug adaptor. Bancomat (ATM) machine. Most cards
charges for visitors from Public libraries also have a maximum daily withdrawal
certain countries were provide half-hour and one- limit (typically €250). It is essential
banned in the EU in 2017. Logo seen on Italian hour slots, which you may to inform your bank that you will
Check with your operator. public phones need to book in advance. be using your card abroad, as many
In the past, you could banks will block transactions they
only use an Italian SIM card if you Post regard as “unusual”.
had a codice fiscale (Italian tax code). The Italian postal system – Poste Many banks charge high rates of
However, several reliable service Italiane – is somewhat erratic. It interest (typically 2.5 per cent) for
providers now offer pre-registered can be marvellously efficient, but withdrawals and transactions made
Italian SIM cards for unlocked also, at times, appallingly slow. If your abroad. Debit or credit cards with
European-standard GSM phones, package is urgent, avoid sending a PIN are increasingly accepted at
giving you an Italian mobile number it registered, as registered mail tends larger shops, hotels, restaurants and
and reduced-rate calls. Alternatively, to be amassed at the collection point petrol stations, but some smaller
international SIM cards work well in before being sent on. Instead, use establishments (including some rest-
Italy – again, as long as you have an the postal system’s courier service, aurants) will not accept cards, and in
unlocked European-standard GSM Posta Celere, or, for international general Italians still prefer to use cash.
phone. The main phone operators in deliveries, Pacco Celere Internazionale, Travellers’ cheques have now been
Italy are TIM, Vodafone, Wind and 3. which is cheaper and more widely largely replaced by so-called Cash
Public phone booths are available outside major cities than Passports – prepaid currency cards that
becoming something of a rarity, international operators like DHL, UPS are loaded before travelling and can
and the few left only accept coins. and Fedex. Stamps (francobolli) are be used in shops and ATMs abroad.
Some of the public phones found sold at post offices, tobacconists and They are available from Thomas
at airports or stations do accept at most shops that sell postcards. Cook, Travelex and various banks.

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