Visitor Information

For information before you go, contact the Italian Government Tourist Board (www.italiantourism.com).

In the United States: 630 Fifth Ave., Ste. 1565, New York, NY 10111 (tel. 212/245-4822; fax 212/586-9249); 500 N. Michigan Ave., Ste. 2240, Chicago, IL 60611 (tel. 312/644-0996; fax 312/644-3019); and 12400 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 550, Los Angeles, CA 90025 (tel. 310/820-0098; fax 310/820-6357).

In Canada: 175 Bloor St. E., South Tower, Ste. 907, Toronto, ON, M4W 3R8 (tel. 416/925-4882; fax 416/925-4799).

In the United Kingdom: 1 Princes St., London W1R 8AY (tel. 020/7408-1254; fax 020/7399-3567).

You can also write directly (in English or Italian) to the provincial or local tourist boards of the areas you plan to visit. Provincial tourist boards (Ente Provinciale per il Turismo) operate in the principal towns of the provinces. Local tourist boards (Azienda Autonoma di Soggiorno e Turismo) operate in all places of tourist interest; you can get a list from the Italian Government Tourist Office.

If you are in Sicily and need to get information, call toll-free tel. 800-117700 (only within Italy). If you are calling from another country, dial tel. 06-87419007. This service is available daily from 8am to 11pm in five languages; it dispenses information concerning transportation, health assistance, events, museums, safety, hotels, and information points.

Online, check out the Italian Government Tourist Board's site, www.italiantourism.com, and the Italian State Tourism Board's site, www.enit.it.

Maps

Most local tourist offices will provide fairly detailed maps of their city or town plans. These are particularly helpful in that all of the major sightseeing attractions are usually marked. Since most of these attractions are in the historic core of a town or city, the highlights can usually be covered on foot, except in such spread-out cities as Palermo where you'll need to rely on public transportation to get around.

The Automobile Club d'Italia issues a free map, available at state tourist offices, if you're planning a motor tour of Italy.

For general touring, you can also check out the following websites: www.mapquest.com, www.maporama.com, and www.michelin.com.