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Cars 4 Rental Information on Italy

General

Area: 301,323 sq km (116,341 sq miles).

Population: 57,587,985 (1998).

Population Density: 191.1 per sq km.

Capital: Rome. Population: 2,645,322 (1996).

Geography: Italy is situated in Europe and attached in the north to the European mainland. To the north the Alps separate Italy from France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia.

Northern Italy: The Alpine regions, the Po Plain and the Ligurian-Etruscan Appennines. Piedmont and Val dAosta contain some of the highest mountains in Europe and are good areas for winter sports. Many rivers flow down from the mountains towards the Po Basin, passing through the beautiful Italian Lake District (Maggiore, Como, Garda). The Po Basin, which extends as far south as the bare slopes of the Appennines, is covered with gravel terraces and rich alluvial soil and has long been one of Italys most prosperous regions. To the east, where the River Po flows into the Adriatic Sea, the plains are little higher than the river itself; artificial (and occasionally natural) embankments prevent flooding.

Central Italy: The northern part of the Italian peninsula. Tuscany (Toscana) has a diverse landscape with snow-capped mountains (the Tuscan Appennines), lush countryside, hills and a long sandy coastline with offshore islands. Le Marche, lying between the Appennines and the Adriatic coast, is a region of mountains, rivers and small fertile plains. The even more mountainous regioni (administrative districts) of Abruzzo and Molise are bordered by Marche to the north and Puglia to the south, and are separated from the Tyrrhenian Sea and to the west by Lazio and Campania. Umbria is known as the green heart of Italy, hilly with broad plains, olive groves and pines. Further south lies Rome, Italys capital and largest city. Within its precincts is the Vatican City.

Southern Italy: Campania consists of flat coastal plains and low mountains, stretching from Baia Domizia to the Bay of Naples and along a rocky coast to the Calabria border. Inland, the Appennines are lower, mellowing into the rolling countryside around Sorrento. The islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida in the Tyrrhenian Sea are also part of Campania. The south is wilder than the north, with mile upon mile of olive trees, cool forests and rolling hills. Puglia, the heel of the boot, is a landscape of volcanic hills and isolated marshes. Calabria, the toe, is heavily forested and thinly populated. The Calabrian hills are home to bears and wolves.

The Islands: Sicily (Sicilia), visible across a 3km (2-mile) strait from mainland Italy, is fertile but mountainous with volcanoes (including the famous landmark of Mount Etna) and lava fields, and several offshore islands. Sardinia (Sardegna) has a mountainous landscape, fine sandy beaches and rocky offshore islands.
For more information on each region, see the Resorts & Excursions section.

Government: Unification in 1861. Republic since 1946. Head of State: President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi since 1999. Head of Government: Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi since 2001.

Language: Italian is the official language. Dialects are spoken in different regions. German and Ladin are spoken in the South Tyrol region (bordering Austria). French is spoken in all the border areas from the Riviera to the area north of Milan (border with France and Switzerland). German is spoken around the Austrian border. English, German and French are also spoken in the biggest cities and in tourism and business circles.

Religion: Roman Catholic with Protestant minorities.

Time: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in September).

Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz.

Communications:

Telephone: Full IDD service available. Country code: 390 (followed by 6 for Rome, 2 for Milan, 11 for Turin, 81 for Naples, 41 for Venice and 55 for Florence). Outgoing international code: 00. Telephone kiosks now only accept phonecards, which can be purchased at post offices, tobacconists and certain newsagents.

Mobile telephone: GSM 900 and 1800 networks.

Fax: Some hotels have facilities.

Internet: ISPs include Telecom Italia Net (website: www.tin.it). Public access is available in Internet Corner Kiosks operated by Telecom Italia. Kiosks have been installed at airports, major hotels and in other public places. Access costs L200 per minute, and phonecards can be used. There are also cybercafs in all main towns.

Telegram: Both internal and overseas telegrams may be dictated over the telephone.

Post: The Italian postal system tends to be subject to delays. Letters between Italy and other European countries usually take a week to ten days to arrive. Letters intended for Poste Restante collection should be addressed to Fermo Posta and the town. Stamps are sold in post offices and tobacconists. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0800/0830-1200/1230 and 1400/1430-1730/1800; Saturday mornings only.

Press: The main towns publish a weekly booklet with entertainment programmes, sports events, restaurants, nightclubs, etc. There are several English-language publications: monthly magazines Italy-Italy (Rome), Grapevine (on the Lucca area) and The Informer (Milan), as well as Wanted In Rome, published twice monthly, and the English-language newspaper, Daily American (Rome). Among the most important Italian dailies are La Stampa (Turin), Corriere della Sera (Milan), La Repubblica (Rome), Il Messaggero (Rome), Il Giorno (Milan) and Il Giornale (Milan).

BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change.

BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice):

MHz 15.49 12.10 9.410 6.195

Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov):

MHz 15.21 11.82 9.760 1.197

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Money

Single European currency (Euro): The Euro is now the official currency of 12 EU member states (including Italy). The first Euro coins and notes were introduced in January 2002; the Italian Lira was still in circulation until 28 February 2002, when it was completely replaced by the Euro. Euro () = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of 2, 1 and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.

Currency exchange: Travellers cheques, cheques and foreign money can be changed at banks, railway stations and airports, and very often at main hotels (generally at a less convenient rate). Many UK banks offer differing exchange rates depending on the denominations of currency being bought or sold. Check with banks for details and current rates.

Credit & debit cards: MasterCard, Diners Club and Visa are widely accepted, as well as Eurocheque cards. Check with your credit or debit card company for merchant acceptability and other facilities which may be available.

Travellers cheques: Travellers cheques are accepted almost everywhere. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in Euros, Pounds Sterling or US Dollars.

Currency restrictions: Check with the embassy before departure. Import and export of both local and foreign currency is limited to 10,329.14. If it is intended to import or export amounts greater than this, the amount should be declared and validated in Italy on form V2.

Exchange rate indicators
The following figures are included as a guide to the movements of the Euro against Sterling and the US Dollar:

Date Aug 01 Nov 01 Feb 02 May 02
1= £0.63 £0.62 £0.61 £0.63
1= $0.91 $0.88 $0.88 $0.92

Banking hours: These vary from city to city but, in general, Mon-Fri 0830-1330 and 1500-1600.

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Health

Special Precautions Certificate Required
Yellow Fever No No
Cholera No No
Typhoid and Polio No N/A
Malaria No N/A

1: Tap water is generally safe to drink. Bottled water is available. The inscription Acqua Non Potabile means water is not drinkable. Milk is pasteurised and dairy products are safe for consumption. Local meat, poultry, seafood, fruit and vegetables are considered safe to eat.

Other risks: Leishmaniasis (cutaneous and visceral), sandfly fever and typhus, though rare, may occur along the Mediterranean coast.
Rabies is present. For those at high risk, vaccination before arrival should be considered. If you are bitten, seek medical advice without delay. For further information, see the Health appendix.

Health care: A reciprocal health agreement with the rest of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway allows reduced-cost dental and medical (including hospital) treatment on presentation of form E111; a fee must be paid, plus part of the cost of any prescribed medicines. Insurance is advised for specialist treatment. Italy is well endowed with health spas, some famous since the Roman era. The most important and best equipped health resorts in Italy are Abano Terme and Montegrotto Terme (Veneto), Acqui Terme (Piedmont), Chianciano and Montecatini Terme (Tuscany), Fiuggi (Lazio), Porretta Terme and Salsomaggiore Terme (Emilia-Romagna), Sciacca (Sicily) and Sirmione (Lombardy). At Merano (Alto Adige) it is possible to have a special grape-diet treatment.

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Climate

Summer is hot, especially in the south. Spring and autumn are mild with fine, sunny weather. Winter in the south is much drier and warmer than in northern and central areas. Mountain regions are colder with heavy winter snowfalls.

Required clothing: Lightweight cottons and linens are worn during the summer, except in the mountains. Lightweight to mediumweights are worn in the south during winter, while warmer clothes are worn elsewhere. Alpine wear is advised for winter mountain resorts.

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Passport

Passport Required Visa Required Return Ticket Required
British Yes No No
Australian Yes No No
Canadian Yes No No
USA Yes No No
OtherEU 1 No No
Japanese Yes No No

Note: (a) Italy is a signatory to the 1995 Schengen Agreement. For further details about passport/visa regulations within the Schengen area see the introductory section How to Use this Guide. (b) The regulations stated below also apply to San Marino and the Vatican City.

PASSPORTS: Passport valid for six months required by all except: 1. nationals of Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland with a valid national ID card.

VISAS: Required by all except the following for stays of up to three months:
(a) nationals of countries referred to in the chart above;
(b) nationals of Andorra, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong (SAR), Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Korea (Rep), Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macau (SAR), Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Switzerland, Uruguay, Vatican City and Venezuela;
(c) transit passengers continuing their journey to a third country by the same or connecting aircraft within 48 hours, provided holding tickets with reserved seats and valid documents for onward travel (except nationals of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Congo (Dem Rep), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Somalia and Sri Lanka, who always require a visa). As the preceding list is liable to change at short notice, visitors are advised to check transit regulations with the relevant Embassy or Consulate before travelling.

Types of visa and cost: There are three types of Schengen visa; Airport transit: £8. Transit: £8. Short-stay (for tourism, business and study purposes): £16 (for up to 30 days); £26 (for up to 90 days). Prices are subject to change with exchange rates. Visitors are advised to check with the Consulate (or Consular section at Embassy); see Contact Addresses section.

Note: Spouses and children of EU nationals (providing spouses passport and the original marriage certificate is produced), and nationals of some other countries, receive their visas free of charge (enquire at Embassy for details).

Validity: Short-stay (single- and multiple-entry): valid for six months from date of issue for stays of maximum 90 days per entry. Transit (single- and multiple-entry): valid for a maximum of five days per entry, including the day of arrival. Visas cannot be extended and a new application must be made each time.

Application to: Consulate (or Consular section at Embassy); see Contact Addresses section. Postal applications are not acceptable. Travellers visiting just one Schengen country should apply to the Consulate of that country; travellers visiting more than one Schengen country should apply to the Consulate of the country chosen as the main destination or the country they will enter first (if they have no main destination).

Application requirements: Tourism: (a) Passport valid for at least three months longer than validity of requested visa with one blank page to affix the visa. (b) Completed application form. (c) One passport-size photo. (d) UK residence permit valid for at least six months beyond the expiry date for UK applicants. (e) Proof of sufficient funds to cover duration of stay (credit cards and cash are not accepted as proof of financial means). (f) Proof of travel arrangements. (g) Proof of occupation eg letter from employer, solicitor or Chamber of Commerce. Business: (a)-(d) and, (e) Letter from employer addressed to the Italian Consulate General explaining the purpose and duration of the visit. If self-employed, a letter from an accountant, company secretary, solicitor or local Chamber of Commerce. Applicants should also arrange for an invitation from the host Italian company or firm to be faxed directly to the Italian Consulate General in London on (fax: (020) 7823 1609) at least 48 hours before submitting an application. Student: (a)-(e) and (f) Full medical insurance to cover period of stay, and (g) Evidence of occupation or student status with a letter from employer or school. Transit: (a)-(c) and (d) Visa for the onward destination country if required and an airline ticket.

Working days required: Approximately two days, but varies according to nationality. No visas are issued within 24 hours. Check with Consular section at Embassy for details.

Temporary residence: Enquire at Consulate (or Consular section at Embassy).

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