The world’s richest artistic heritage, the warmth of the Mediterranean, the beautiful landscapes and extraordinary flavors: the “Bel Paese” with his works of art and monuments of priceless artistic value is a real open-
TIPS AND INFOS:
More information and temperature tables at italiantourism.com.
Look at eurolang.net to learn more about the languages and dialects spoken in Italy.
Once visitors arrive in Italy, those who will not be staying in a hotel or similar accommodation facility must register with the local police headquarters within 8 days of their arrival in the country. Visitors staying in hotels or other tourist accommodation facilities will automatically be registered upon reception there.
There are no limits to what may be bought or carried on trips within the European Union, provided such purchases are for the traveller’s own personal use.
To call another country from Italy, you will need to add the international dialing code for the country you are calling, followed by the telephone number you require.
To make calls within Italy, dial the number you require without adding the international country dialling code.
To make calls from public telephones (which you can find on the street, in some bars, restaurants, etc and in shopping centers), you may use coins or phone cards, which can be purchased from tobacconists, news kiosks and telephone shops. Mobile phone reception in Italy is based on GSM technology, which is not compatible with that of a number of countries (including the USA and Japan), unless you have a three-band mobile phone.
Before travelling to Italy you should contact your telephone services provider to activate the international roaming service (if it is not already activated automatically).
Making international calls from a mobile phone may be very expensive, and it is often advisable to purchase a phone card to call home from a public telephone.
Emergency numbers
An efficient, modern, integrated network, with the switchboards of the various police forces, emergency services, organizations and agencies is ready to respond to emergency calls from anywhere in Italy. Access to this network is simple and quick: all you have to do is call the national emergency numbers, which are well known and easy to remember.
Useful links:
State Police : www.poliziadistato.it
Ministry of Interior : www.interno.it
Carabinieri : www.carabinieri.it
Ministry of Defense : www.difesa.it
Guardia di Finanza : www.gdf.it
Forestry Corp : www.corpoforestale.it
In Italy, as in some other European countries, the Government designates the number of stars a property. There’s a checklist that each hotel is put through and then a final score is produced that determines how many stars that hotel has. Things like the size of the lobby, the proximity of the lobby to guest rooms, and whether there’s an elevator in the building can be the deciding factors in whether a hotel is a 2-star or 3-star property.
The Mediterranean diet forms the basis of Italian cuisine, rich in pasta, fish and vegetables and characterized by its extreme simplicity and variety, with many dishes having only four to eight ingredients. Italian cooks rely chiefly on the quality of the ingredients rather than on elaborate preparation. Dishes and recipes are often derivatives from local and familial tradition rather than created by chefs, so many recipes are ideally suited for home cooking, this being one of the main reasons behind the ever increasing worldwide popularity of Italian cuisine, from America to Asia Ingredients and dishes vary widely by region.
A key factor in the success of Italian cuisine is its heavy reliance on traditional products; Italy has the most traditional specialties protected under EU law. Cheese, cold cuts and wine are a major part of Italian cuisine, with many regional declinations and Protected Designation of Origin or Protected Geographical Indication labels, and along with coffee (especially espresso) make up a very important part of the Italian gastronomic culture. Desserts have a long tradition of merging local flavors such as citrus fruits, pistachio and almonds with sweet cheeses like mascarpone and ricotta or exotic tastes as cocoa, vanilla and cinnamon. Gelato, tiramisù and cassata are among the most famous examples of Italian desserts, cakes and patisserie.
OUR TOURS:
We can build for you tailored tours following your requirements according to the available time, the period of year, the desire to travel in group, family, couple or alone, the presence of young children (aged between 5 and 12 years)
” We are Italian and that is why we offer you the opportunity to visit this beautiful country based on our personal knowledge with itineraries of unique and special places and services. You will be able to visit and eat in places that not even some Italians knows about, all personally selected by us for the high quality “