Staying Connected

To call Sicily from the United States, dial the international prefix, 011; then Italy's country code, 39; and then the city code (for example, 091 for Palermo or 095 for Catania), which is now built into every number. Then dial the actual phone number.

A local phone call in Italy costs around .20€ (25¢). Public phones accept coins, precharged phone cards (scheda or carta telefonica), or both. You can buy a carta telefonica at any tabacchi (tobacco shop; most display a sign with a white T on a brown background) in increments of 2.50€ ($3.25), 5€ ($6.50), and 7.50€ ($9.75). To make a call, pick up the receiver and insert .50€ (65¢) or your card (break off the corner first). Most phones have a digital display that'll tell you how much money you've inserted (or how much is left on the card). Dial the number, and don't forget to take the card with you after you hang up.

To call from one city code to another, dial the city code, complete with initial 0, and then dial the number. (Note that numbers in Sicily range from four to eight digits in length. Even when you're calling within the same city, you must dial that city's area code -- including the zero. A Catanian calling another Catanian number must dial 095 before the local number.)

To dial direct internationally, dial 00 and then the country code, the area code, and the number. Country codes are as follows: the United States and Canada, 1; the United Kingdom, 44; Ireland, 353; Australia, 61; New Zealand, 64. Make international calls from a public phone, if possible, as hotels almost invariably charge ridiculously inflated rates for direct-dial. Calls dialed directly are billed on the basis of the call's duration only. A reduced rate is applied Monday to Saturday 11pm to 8am and all day Sunday. Direct-dial calls from the United States to Sicily are much cheaper, so arrange to be called at your hotel if possible.

Italy has a series of international phone cards (scheda telefonica internazionale) for calling overseas. They come in increments of 50, 100, 200, and 400 unita (units), and they're usually available at tabacchi and bars. Rates for international calls using prepaid cards can vary, based on the country you call. Prepaid phone cards may offer rates that are much lower than a phone company's basic international charges. A toll-free access phone number and a personal identification number (PIN) are usually printed on each phone card. To make a phone call, you dial the access number and then enter the PIN. An automated voice will ask you to enter the phone number you are calling and will tell you how much time you have left on your card.

For national telephone information in Italy, dial 1254; for international information call 892412. Both services cost 3€ ($3.90) per minute.

To make collect or calling-card calls, drop in .20€ (25¢) or insert your card and dial one of the numbers here; an American operator will shortly come on to assist you. The following calling-card numbers work all over Italy: AT&T, tel. 800/172-444; MCI, tel. 800/905-825; and Sprint, tel. 800/172-405. To make collect calls to a country besides the United States, dial tel. 170 (free), and practice your Italian in order to relay the number to the Italian operator. Tell him or her that you want it a carico del destinatario. To make collect calls abroad is not free; it costs .20€ (25¢) per minute, plus a surcharge of .30€ (40¢).

Don't count on all Sicilian phones to have touch-tone service. You might not be able to access your voice mail or answering machine from Sicily.

Cellphones

The three letters that define much of the world's wireless capabilities are GSM (Global System for Mobiles), a big, seamless network that makes for easy cross-border cellphone use throughout dozens of countries worldwide. In general reception is good.

For many, renting a phone is a good idea. (Even world-phone owners will have to rent new phones if they're traveling to non-GSM regions.) While you can rent a phone from any number of overseas sites, including kiosks at airports and at car-rental agencies, we suggest renting the phone before you leave home. North Americans can rent one before leaving home from InTouch USA (tel. 800/872-7626 or 703/222-7161; www.intouchglobal.com) or RoadPost (tel. 888/290-1616 or 905/272-5665; www.roadpost.com). InTouch will also, for free, advise you on whether your existing phone will work overseas.

Buying a phone can be economically attractive, as many nations have cheap prepaid phone systems. Once you arrive at your destination, stop by a local cellphone shop and get the cheapest package; you'll probably pay less than $100 for a phone and a starter calling card. Local calls may be as low as 10¢ per minute, and in many countries incoming calls are free.

Internet & E-Mail

With Your Own Computer -- More and more hotels, cafes, and retailers are signing on as Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) "hot spots." Mac owners have their own networking technology: Apple AirPort. T-Mobile Hotspot (www.t-mobile.com/hotspot or www.t-mobile.co.uk) serves up wireless connections at coffee shops nationwide. Boingo (www.boingo.com) and Wayport (www.wayport.com) have set up networks in airports and high-class hotel lobbies. IPass providers also give you access to a few hundred wireless hotel lobby setups. To locate other hot spots that provide free wireless networks, go to www.jiwire.com.

For dial-up access, most business-class hotels offer Wi-Fi for laptop modems. In addition, major Internet service providers (ISPs) have local access numbers around the world, allowing you to go online by placing a local call. The iPass network also has dial-up numbers around the world. You'll have to sign up with an iPass provider, who will then tell you how to set up your computer for your destination(s). For a list of iPass providers, go to www.ipass.com and click on "Individuals Buy Now." One solid provider is i2roam (tel. 866/811-6209 or 920/233-5863; www.i2roam.com).

Wherever you go, bring a connection kit of the right power and phone adapters, a spare phone cord, and a spare Ethernet network cable -- or find out whether your hotel supplies them to guests.

Without Your Own Computer -- To find cybercafes check www.cybercaptive.com and www.cybercafe.com. Cybercafes are found in large Sicilian cities, especially Catania and Palermo. But they do not tend to cluster in any particular neighborhoods because of competition.

Aside from formal cybercafes, most youth hostels and public libraries have Internet access. Avoid hotel business centers unless you're willing to pay exorbitant rates.