Italy   

Italy stretches from the Alps, on its northern borders with Switzerland and Austria, down a thin peninsula to the Mediterranean in the south. Few countries can compete with Italy for its sheer wealth of art and architecture, not to mention music, literature, the culinary arts, fashion, and contemporary design. Ancient Roman ruins—the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and the buried Roman city of Pompeii—and the Greek temples in Paestum and Sicily, stand in stark contrast to the beautiful lagoon-city of Venice and the renaissance works of art in Florence and Tuscany. The country's landscape varies dramatically, from the alpine heights of the Dolomites and the Italian lakes in the north, to the olive groves and vineyards of the Tuscan and Umbrian countryside. The Italian peninsula is ever popular for its bathing beaches, and more rugged beauty is to be found in the south, and on the island of Sicily.

Italy was the seat of the Roman Empire two thousand years ago, ruling most of the known world from Rome. From the end of the 2nd century AD the capital city became the seat of the popes, and the most powerful centre of the Roman Catholic Church. From the 9th century, Venice grew rich from trade in spices and precious stones from the East, becoming one of the greatest maritime powers of all time. Italy's economic and cultural Golden Age came in the 15th and early 16th centuries, with the production of consumer goods on a grand scale, and generous patronage of the arts. The country has weathered much political turbulence over the centuries, and it was not until 1860 that the practical politics of Mazzini and Cavour, and the heroic deeds of Garibaldi, finally unified the country. After a long period of political and financial uncertainty in the mid-20th century, Italy is now enjoying a period of optimism. Milan, the country's industrial and commercial centre, is flourishing, and tourism is a sound source of revenue.

Throughout Italy, beautiful churches, palaces, paintings, and sculpture testify to the artistic importance of the Italian Renaissance. This “rebirth” of classical art, which had its origins in Florence, produced some of the finest and most celebrated artists in the world, including Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Donatello, and Botticelli. The Roman poet Virgil wrote the Aeneid around 30 BC, while Dante Alighieri's masterpiece The Divine Comedy, written in the 1300s, helped the Italian language to become the most prominent literary form in Europe. Librettist Lorenzo da Ponte helped Mozart marry Italian literature with music in the form of opera. Italy has produced a number of outstanding musical composers, from Scarlatti and Vivaldi in the early 18th century to the great 19th-century creators of opera, Rossini and Verdi. Creativity is still strong in modern Italy: many great fashion designers, such as Armani, Moschino, Versace, and Valentino, have kept Italy's profile high, while Italian film studios have produced some excellent films over the past 40 years, notably under the direction of Visconti, Pasolini, Fellini, and Bertolucci.

Citizens of the European Union (EU) Schengen area countries, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland and Vatican City can enter Italy with a valid national identity card. Citizens of other EU countries, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Iceland, Malta, Monaco, Norway, Poland, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia , Turkey and Vatican City need a valid passport but not a visa. Other nationals should consult the Italian embassy or consulate in their country of residence for details of any visa requirements.

Ambulance, fire brigade, and police: 113
Police: 112
Emergency breakdown services: 116
Fire brigade: 115
Alternative pan-European emergency number for all services: 112

Central European Time (GMT plus one hour). Clocks are put forward one hour from the last Sunday in March to the Saturday before the end of October.

Check with your motor vehicle insurance company regarding any documents you will need and whether additional insurance is required. If you are a citizen of the European Union, you will need an Italian translation of your driving licence, unless you possess a UK licence. If you belong to a country outside the European Union, you will need an International Driving Permit. Motoring organisations in your country of residence can advise. Drivers must carry a red warning triangle in the car, as its use is obligatory in the event of a breakdown.

Always carry your full valid driving licence (or International Driving Permit, if necessary), vehicle registration and insurance documents, and national identity card or passport with you at all times.

Traffic drives on the right in Italy. The driver and front-seat passengers must wear seat belts, as should rear-seat passengers, if the car has them fitted. Children under 12 must travel in the rear seat unless a child-restraint system is fitted in the front. The maximum amount of alcohol allowed in the bloodstream when driving is 80 mg per 100 ml (8g/l).

The quality of roads varies, but autostrade (motorways marked with the prefix “A”) are mostly toll roads and are well maintained. National roads are prefixed with the letters “SS” and provincial roads (strade provinciali) with “sp”. Speed limits on the autostrade are 130 kilometres per hour (81 miles per hour) for cars, and 100 kilometres per hour (62 miles per hour) for camper vans. The speed limit for cars on secondary roads is 90 kilometres per hour (56 miles per hour); 110 kilometres per hour (70 miles per hour) on dual carriageways, and 50 kilometres per hour (31 miles per hour) in built-up areas.The maximum level of alcohol permitted in the bloodstream when driving is 0.8 grams per litre (80mg/ml).

Driving is one of the best ways to get about the Italian countryside. Roads are generally good and well signposted. However, long journeys can be expensive, both because of the motorway tolls and the relatively high price of petrol. Always carry some loose change to pay for tolls.

Emergency (SOS) phones are located on autostrade every 2 kilometres (1.2 miles). For assistance, telephone 116 or the ACI on (06) 49981.

The electrical current in Italy is 220 volts AC. Generally, round two-pin plugs are used, although you may also find round, three-pin plugs in use. An adapter is essential for UK and Irish appliances.

The Lira is Italy's official monetary unit. Notes are issued in L100,000, 50,000, 10,000, 5,000, 2,000, and 1,000. Coins are issued in L50, 100, 200, and 500. Italy is one of 11 European Union countries which will adopt the Euro (€) as its currency on 1 January 2002. Prices and bills are increasingly quoted in both Lire and Euros. The fixed exchange rate is €1=L2458.56. Lira notes and coins will cease to be legal tender on 1 July 2002.

American Express, Visa, Access/MasterCard, and Diners Club are accepted in Italy. Eurocheques, accompanied by a valid Eurocheque card, and travellers cheques are also accepted. You will need your identity card or passport when cashing either. Not all shops and restaurants accept credit cards, so it is worth checking in advance. Travellers cheques are the safest way to carry cash, and you should buy these in your own country before departure. In general, banks offer a better rate of exchange than hotels and airports. Banking hours are usually 08.30 to 13.00 on weekdays. Some branches reopen from 14.30 to 15.30 (or 15.00 to 16.00).

At restaurants, the service charge is included in the bill, although an additional small tip is usually expected. It is common to tip hotel staff, porters, taxi drivers, tour guides, lavatory attendants, and hairdressers. L1,000 is regarded as the minimum

1 January: New Year’s Day
6 January: Epiphany
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday
25 April: Liberation Day
1 May: Labour Day
15 August: Assumption
1 November: All Saints’ Day
8 December: Immaculate Conception
25/26 December: Christmas

In general, Italy is not well adapted to the needs of travellers with disabilities, but attitudes are, by and large, helpful. Wheelchair access is not very common, except in large museums and galleries. Check in advance what special facilities are available at your destination. Italian State Railways (FS) have reception centres that provide assistance to travellers with disabilities. A pamphlet on their services and facilities is available at FS information points. Other organisations that can provide information and/or assistance are Associazione Italiana per l’Assistenza agli Spastici (AIAS), via Cipro 4/H, 00136 Rome, tel: +39 6 3973 1829 and +39 6 3973 1704; and AIAS Milano, via San Barnaba 29, 20122 Milano, tel: +39 2 5501 7564, fax: +39 2 5501 4870. The association CO. IN. provides special tourist and access information (for Rome only), to travellers with disabilities. They are located at via E. Giglioi 54/A, 00169 Rome, tel/fax: +39 6 2326 7504/5. In Venice contact Informa Handicap, Via Catalani 9/A, 30171 Metre, Venezia, tel: +39 41 976 435, fax: +39 41 974 457.

Main bus stations are usually found near the town’s train station, and tickets can be bought in the station or in Main bus stations are usually found near the town's train station, and tickets can be bought in the station or in tabacchi (newsagents). Once on board-ascend at the rear, alight at the front-passengers must validate their tickets in the machines provided. Urban buses are frequent, comprehensive, and inexpensive (usually about L1,500). Tickets must be purchased at tabacchi, news-stands, or at bus-stop kiosks before entering the bus.

In Venice, tickets for the city's water buses must be purchased in advance at tabacchi or landing stages. They cost more if bought on board. Tickets must be validated in the machine on board. Discount one-day or three-day tourist tickets are available. Twenty-four-hour passes can be purchased for the vaporetti (large water buses). Fees for gondola trips should be negotiated beforehand. Metros operate in Milan, Rome, and Naples. Tickets must be purchased in advance at tabacchi or news-stands in most cities.

Ferries depart from Genoa, Civitavecchia, and Naples for Sicily, and Sardinia. There are also ferries from Naples, Pozzuoli, Salerno, and Sorrento for the islands of Capri, Ischia, and Procida, and hydrofoils and ferries between Anzio and Ponza and the Pontine islands. The Aeolian islands are best reached by ferry and hydrofoil from Messina, Milazzo, Palermo, Reggio di Calabria, Naples, and Capri, while the Egadi Islands and Pantelleria can be reached from Trapani, Ustica from Palermo, Linosa, and Lampedusa from Porto Empedocle. From Manfredonia, Vieste, Vasto, Ortona, Rodi Garganico, and Termoli, there are boats to the Tremiti islands. To Elba, boats leave from Piombino and Livorno. There is a choice of routes across Lakes Maggiore, Como, Garda, and Iseo.

Venice (Venezia), a city of pedestrians and water traffic, is so richly adorned that many visits are needed to fully explore it. Most popular are the Basilica of San Marco, mausoleum of Venice's patron saint, the Doges' Palace, and the Accademia, which any student of Venetian art should not miss. Of the other city museums, the Ca' Rezzonico (18th-century art), the Correr Museum, and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (20th-century art) are the most important. Venice's other outstanding sites are her smaller churches: Gothic Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Santi Giovanni e Paolo, the Gesuati, San Zaccaria, and the Redentore, with their paintings, tombs, sculpture and treasuries, are also museums. Beyond the city, there are the islands (Murano, Burano, and Torcello) where the pace of life is slower.

Florence (Firenze), cradle of the Renaissance, is renowned for its wealth of art and architecture. Most sights lie north of the River Arno—including the Uffizi Gallery, the Duomo, Giotto's tower, and the baptistery, with its magnificent bronze doors. Another cluster of sites is formed by the Bargello Museum with its stunning collection of renaissance sculpture, the medieval Palazzo Vecchio, and the statue-adorned church of Orsanmichele. Not far away, are the church of San Lorenzo and the Medici Chapels, housing Michelangelo's heroic sculptures of Day, Night, Dawn and Dusk. Further artistic riches are to be found in the church of Santa Maria Novella. Be sure to visit both the Accademia Gallery (which contains Michelangelo's David) and the Museo di San Marco (for Fra Angelico's frescoes). The Pitti Palace on the south bank of the river, across the medieval shop-lined Ponte Vecchio, houses yet more of the artistic wealth of the Medici family.