ITALY

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General Information

Capital: Rome
Time: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in September).
Tel. Code: 00 390 .
Official 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, French and German are also spoken in the biggest cities and in tourism and business circles
Currency: : 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 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.
Electricity: : 230 volts AC, 50Hz.
Religion: : 90 per cent Roman Catholic with Protestant minorities.

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. Light- to mediumweights are worn in the south during winter, while warmer clothes are worn elsewhere. Alpine wear is advised for winter mountain resorts.

Airports

Rome (FCO) (Fiumicino) , 26km (16 miles) southwest of the city (travel time - 30 to 55 minutes).
Rome (CIA) (Ciampino) , 32km (15 miles) from the city (travel time - 60 minutes).
Bologna (BLQ) (G Marconi) , 6km (4 miles) northwest of the city (travel time - 20 minutes) .
Florence (FLR) (Amerigo Vespucci) , 4km (2.4 miles) north of the city (travel time - 20 minutes).
Genoa (GOA) (Cristoforo Colombo, Sestri) , 6km (4 miles) west of the city (travel time - 20 minutes).
Milan (MXP) (Malpensa) is 45km (29 miles) northwest of the city (travel time - 30 minutes).
Milan (LIN) (Linate) is 10km (6 miles) east of the city (travel time - 30 minutes).
Bergamo (BGY) (Milano Orio al Serio) is east of Milan. Taxis and buses are available to both Milan and Bergamo.
Naples (NAP) (Capodichino) is 7km (4.5 miles) north of the city (travel time - 20-30 minutes) and has good airport facilities.
Pisa (PSA) (Galileo Galilei) is 2km (1.5 miles) northeast of the city (travel time - 10 minutes).
Palermo (PMO) (Punta Raisi) is 30km (19 miles) west of the city (travel time - 40 minutes).
Turin (TRN) (Citta di Torino) is 16km (10 miles) northeast of the city (travel time - 35 minutes).
Venice (VCE) (Marco Polo) is 10km (6 miles) northwest of the city (travel time - 20 minutes) has good airport facilities.
Departure tax: None.

Internal Travel

Air, Sea, Rail and Road are the modes of transportation used within Italy.

Travel Times

The following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and minutes) from Rome to other major cities in Italy.

  • City

  • Air

  • Rail

  • Road

  • Florence

  • 0.45

  • 2.30

  • 2.30

  • Milan

  • 0.65

  • 6.00

  • 6.00

  • Venice

  • 0.65

  • 6.30

  • 6.00

  • Naples

  • 0.45

  • 2.30

  • 2.00

  • Palermo

  • 0.60

  • 14.30

  • 10.00

  • Cagliari

  • 0.55

  • -

  • -

Passport/Visa

Passport:
Passport valid for three months beyond the validity of the visa required by all except: 1. nationals of Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland who only require a valid national ID card.

Visas :
Required by all except the following for stays of up to 90 days: (a) nationals of countries referred to in the chart above; (b) nationals of Andorra, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong (SAR), Israel, Korea (Rep), Macau (SAR), Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Switzerland, Uruguay, Vatican City and Venezuela; (c) airport 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), Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Somalia and Sri Lanka, who always require a visa, unless granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK). 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.
 

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