Fast Facts

Area Codes -- Every city and its surrounding towns have a separate city code. The code for most of the Florence area is 055.

Automobile Organizations -- Italy's equivalent of AAA is the Automobile Club d'Italia (ACI; www.aci.it), a branch of the Touring Club Italiano. They're the people who respond when you place an emergency call to tel. 116 for road breakdowns, though they do charge for this service if you're not a member.

Business Hours -- General open hours for stores, offices, and churches are from 9:30am to noon or 1pm and again from 3 or 3:30pm to 7:30pm. That early-afternoon shutdown is the riposo, the Italian siesta. Most stores close all day Sunday and many also on Monday (morning only or all day). Some shops, especially grocery stores, also close Thursday afternoons. Some services and business offices are open to the public only in the morning. Traditionally, museums are closed Mondays, and though some of the biggest stay open all day long, many close for riposo or are only open in the morning (9am-2pm is popular). Some churches open earlier in the morning, but the largest often stay open all day. Banks tend to be open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 1:30pm and 2:30 to 3:30pm or 3 to 4pm.

Use the riposo as the Italians do -- take a long lunch, stroll through a city park, cool off in the Duomo, travel to the next town, or simply go back to your hotel to regroup your energies. The riposo is an especially welcome custom during the oppressive afternoon heat of August.

Drinking Laws -- There is no legal drinking age in Italy in the sense that a young person of any age can legally consume alcohol, but a person must be 16 years old in order to be served alcohol in a restaurant or a bar. Similarly, laws in other countries that exist in order to stamp out public drunkenness simply aren't quite as necessary in Italy where binge-drinking is unusual. (In fact, it doesn't take a very keen observer in Florence to note that most of the loud drunks at night aren't Italian.) Noise is the primary concern to city officials, and so bars generally close at 2am at the latest, though alcohol is commonly served in clubs after that. Bars in Florence will stop take-out sales at midnight. Supermarkets generally carry beer, wine, and sometimes spirits.

Electricity -- Italy operates on a 220 volts AC (50 cycles) system, as opposed to the United States' 110 volts AC (60 cycle) system. You'll need a simple adapter plug (to make our flat pegs fit their round holes) and, unless your appliance is dual-voltage (as some hair dryers, travel irons, and computer devices are), an electrical currency converter. You can pick up the hardware at electronics, travel specialty stores, luggage shops, airports, and from Magellan's catalog (www.magellans.com).

Embassies & Consulates -- The U.S. Embassy is in Rome at Via Vittorio Veneto 119a (tel. 06-46-741; fax 06-488-2672 or 06-4674-2217; www.usembassy.it). The U.S. consulate in Florence -- for passport and consular services but not for visas -- is at Lungarno Amerigo Vespucci 38 (tel. 055-266-951; fax 055-284-088), open to drop-ins Monday through Friday from 9am to 12:30pm. Afternoons 2 to 4:30pm, the consulate is open by appointment only; call ahead. The U.K. Embassy is in Rome at Via XX Settembre 80a (tel. 06-4220-0001; fax 06-4220-2334; www.britain.it), open Monday through Friday from 9:15am to 1:30pm. The U.K. consulate in Florence is at Lungarno Corsini 2 (tel. 055-284-133; fax 055-219-112). It's open Monday to Friday 9:30am to 12:30pm and 2:30 to 4:30pm.

Of English-speaking countries, only the United States and Great Britain have consulates in Florence. Citizens of other countries must go to their consulates in Rome for help: The Canadian consulate in Rome is at Via Zara 30, on the fifth floor (tel. 06-445-981 or 06-44598-2905; www.canada.it), open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 12:30pm and 1:30 to 4pm. Australia's consulate in Rome is at Via Alessandria 215 (tel. 06-852-721; fax 06-8527-2300; www.australian-embassy.it). The consular section is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30am to noon and 1:30 to 4pm. The immigration and visa office is open Monday to Thursday 10am to noon; telephone hours are from 10 to 11:30am. New Zealand's Rome consulate is at Via Zara 28 (tel. 06-441-7171; fax 06-440-2984), open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 12:45pm and 1:45 to 5pm.

Emergencies Dial tel. 113 for any emergency. You can also call tel. 112 for the carabinieri (police), tel. 118 for an ambulance, or tel. 115 for the fire department. If your car breaks down, dial tel. 116 for roadside aid courtesy of the Automotive Club of Italy.

Gasoline (Petrol) -- Benzina (gas or petrol) is even more expensive in Italy than in the rest of Europe. Even a small rental car guzzles 40€ to 60€ for a fill-up. Unleaded gas is senza piombo.

Holidays -- Banks, government offices, post offices, and many stores, restaurants, and museums are closed on the following legal national holidays: January 1 (New Year's Day); January 6 (Epiphany); Easter Sunday and the following Monday (called Pasquetta, or Little Easter); April 25 (Liberation Day); May 1 (Labor Day); August 25 (Feast of the Assumption); November 1 (All Saint's Day); December 8 (Immaculate Conception); December 25 and December 26 (Santo Stefano). Florence also celebrates the feast of San Giovanni on June 24.

Hospitals -- Thanks to socialized medicine, you can walk into almost any Italian hospital when ill and get taken care of speedily with no insurance questions asked, no forms to fill out, and no fee charged. They'll just give you a prescription and send you on your way. In Florence, the most central hospitals are the Arcispedale di Santa Maria Nuova, a block northeast of the Duomo on Piazza Santa Maria Nuova (tel. 055-27-581), and the Misericordia Ambulance Service, on Piazza del Duomo across from Giotto's bell tower (tel. 055-212-222 for ambulance).

The Tourist Medical Service, Via Lorenzo il Magnifico 59, north of the Florence city center between the Fortezza del Basso and Piazza della Libertà (tel. 055-475-411), is open 24 hours; take bus no. 8 or 80 to Viale Lavagnini, or bus no. 12 or night bus no. 91 to Via Poliziano.

For a free translator to help you describe your symptoms, explain the doctor's instructions, and aid in medical issues in general, call the volunteers at the Associazione Volontari Ospedalieri (AVO; tel. 055-425-0126 or 055-234-4567) Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 4 to 6pm and Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to noon.

Insurance -- Italy may be one of the safer places you can travel in the world, but accidents and setbacks can and do happen, from lost luggage to car crashes.

For information on traveler's insurance, trip-cancellation insurance, and medical insurance while traveling please visit www.frommers.com/planning.

Internet Access -- Cybercafes are in healthy supply in most Italian cities. In smaller towns you may have a bit of trouble, but increasingly hotels are offering Wi-Fi throughout the rooms, although those in rural areas are not as likely to have a high-speed connection. In a pinch, hostels, local libraries, and, often, pubs will have some sort of terminal for access.

Language -- Italians may not be quite as polished with their English as some of their European counterparts, but they've been hosting Anglophones for a long time now, and English is a regular part of any business day. In very rural parts, slow and clear speech, a little gesticulating, and a smile will go a long way. In Florence and other cities, you will probably be the twentieth English-speaking tourist they've spoken with that day. In a pinch, please refer to the phrasebook at the back of this book for some vacation essentials.

Legal Aid -- Your embassy or consulate can provide a list of foreign attorneys should you encounter legal problems in Italy. In criminal cases, if you cannot afford an attorney, the local court will provide one for you.

Mail -- At press time, the cost of sending a postcard or letter up to 20 grams, or a little less than an ounce, was .65€ to other European countries, .85€ to North America, and 1€ to Australia and New Zealand. Prices go up incrementally to 5.70€/8.70€/11.70€ for letters weighing up to 500 grams, or nearly one pound. For a full table, visit www.poste.it; there is an English version.

Newspapers & Magazines -- The International Herald Tribune (published by the New York Times and with news catering to Americans abroad) and USA Today are available at just about every newsstand, even in smaller towns. You can find the Wall Street Journal Europe, European editions of Time and Newsweek, The Economist, and just about any major European newspaper or magazine at the larger kiosks.

Police -- For emergencies, call tel. 113. Italy has several different police forces, but there are only two you'll most likely ever need to deal with. The first is the urban polizia, whose city headquarters is called the questura and can help with lost and stolen property. The most useful branch -- the cops to go to for serious problems and crimes -- is the carabinieri (tel. 112), a national order-keeping, crime-fighting civilian police force.

Smoking -- Smoking has been eradicated from all restaurants and bars in Italy, as well as most hotels. That said, there are still smokers in Italy, and they tend to take the outside tables. Be aware that if you are keen for an outdoor table, you are essentially choosing a seat in the smoking section, and requesting that your neighbor not smoke may not be politely received.

Taxes -- There's no sales tax added onto the price tag of your purchases, but there is a 19% value-added tax (in Italy: IVA) automatically included in just about everything. For major purchases, you can get this refunded. Some five-star and four-star hotels don't include the 13% luxury tax in their quoted prices. Ask when making your reservation.

Time -- All of Italy is in the same Western European time zone; that is, GMT plus 1 hour.

Tipping -- In hotels, a service charge is usually included in your bill. In family-run operations, additional tips are unnecessary and sometimes considered rude. In fancier places with a hired staff, however, you may want to leave a .50€ daily tip for the maid, pay the bellhop or porter 1€ per bag, and a helpful concierge 2€ for his or her troubles. In restaurants, 10% to 15% is almost always included in the bill -- to be sure, ask "è incluso il servizio?" -- but you can leave up to an additional 10%, especially for good service. At bars and cafes, a generous gesture is to leave a 1€ coin per drink on the counter for the barman, though it is hardly expected; if you sit at a table, leave 10% to 15% only if the service is good. Taxi drivers expect 10% to 15%.

Toilets -- Public toilets in Tuscany and Umbria are practically nonexistent except at the train stations and highway gas stations, where they are sometimes pay toilets (.50€ usually does the trick). Standard practice in Italy is to pay for a .80€ cup of coffee at a bar and then ask to use the toilet -- although, it's best to ask for both simultaneously as the restrooms in heavily touristy parts of Florence, Tuscany, and Umbria are sometimes "out of order."

Water -- Although most Italians take mineral water with their meals, tap water is safe everywhere. (Unsafe sources will be marked "acqua non potabile.") In fact, many cities are now urging their citizens to cut back on their plastic-wasting ways and turn back to the tap. If the water comes out cloudy, it's only the calcium or other minerals inherent in a water supply that often comes untreated from fresh springs. Also, the water from fountains in public parks is not only potable, it's often the best water you've ever tasted.