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Enjoy awe-inspiring Roman ruins, Renaissance art, charming hill towns steeped in history, and a magnificent coastline. Explore the canals of Venice and gaze at beautiful churches as well as gastronomic delights from authentic pasta to fine wine, and vistas that will leave you reeling.
Travel to Italy could include warm beaches with crystal clear waters; to skiing high up in the mountains and sipping wine while strolling lush green rolling hills. No vacation would be complete without touring some of Italy’s ancient cities and viewing historical artifacts. Italy has a vast range of hotel and resort accommodation styles from deluxe and luxury resorts to budget hotels and villas.
Traveling around Italy you will experience a variety in the landscape, although it is characterized mainly by two mountain ranges: the Alps and the Apennines.
The main islands are Sicily, rising up to the great volcanic cone of Mount Etna (10,860 feet) and Sardegna. The main archipelagos are the Tremiti Islands in the Adriatic Sea, the Tuscan Archipelago, the Pontine Islands, the Aeolian Islands and the Egadi Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the coast of Sicily.
You can tour Italy in comfort by selecting one of Key Tours escorted programs. Travel through Italy independently by modern trains which is one of the most efficient ways of visiting its historical cities and the country side.
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| More Info about Italy |
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Major Cities in Italy
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Services In Italy |
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Specials |
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| Country Name |
Italy |
| Geographical Area |
301,302 square kilometers (116,333 square miles) |
| Population |
58,133,509 (July 2006 est.) |
| Capital City |
Rome |
| People |
94% Italian; 6% other, including Sardinians and Rhaetians |
| Language |
Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking) |
| Religion |
84% Roman Catholic; 16% other, including Jewish, Muslim, and Protestant |
| Government |
A parliamentary republic; the head of state is the president, elected by legislators and representatives of regional councils; the head of the government is the prime minister
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| Head of Gov. |
Prime minister: Silvio Berlusconi; president: Giorgio Napolitano |
| Visas |
A visa is not required for a U.S. or Canadian citizen holding a valid passport unless he/she expects to stay in Italy more than 90 days and/or to study or seek employment. The formality of registering with the police within 3 days of a tourist's arrival in Italy is attended to by the hotels one stays with. If staying with friends or in a private home, the visitor has to register in person at the nearest police station within a 3-day period.
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| Health Risks |
No immunizations are required for entry. Water supplies are adequately treated in major cities such as Rome, Milan and Verona. Medical facilities in Italy are available, but may be limited outside urban areas and the crime rate is moderate. |
| Clothing Suggestions |
MONASTERIES AND CHURCHES: When packing, remember to bring along appropriate clothes for visiting religious sites, such as cathedrals. Usually there is an unspoken dress code that requires long trousers for men and below-the-knee skirts for women. Sleeveless shirts might also be forbidden, especially on women (you'll also be require to remove headgear inside a church or holy building). The climatic conditions of Italy are highly diversified with extremes ranging from very cold in the higher elevations of the Alps and Apennines to semitropical along the coast of the Ligurian Sea and the western coast of the lower peninsula. The average annual temperature however, ranges from about 11° to 19°C (about 52° to 66°F); it is about 13°C (about 55°F) in the Po Valley, about 18°C (about 64°F) in Sicily and about 14.5°C (about 58°F) in the coastal lowlands. |
| Time Zone |
Italy is in the central European time zone—1 hour ahead of Greenwich mean time. That means Italy operates on the same time as Munich, Madrid, and Paris. Italy is 6 hours ahead of Montréal and New York, 9 hours behind Sydney, and 8 hours behind Tokyo. Daylight saving time is in effect from late March to late September, during which time the clocks are advanced 1 hour. |
| Banking / Exchange |
Banks are open from 8.00/8.30am-1.30pm and 2.30/3.00-4.00pm from Monday to Friday.
Foreign exchange bureaus are available for tourists at airports, railway stations, major hotels and popular tourist resorts abroad without any time limit. |
| Currency |
Euro |
| Electric Current |
The electrical current in Italy is AC - the cycle is 50Hz 220 V. A tourist carrying electrical appliances to Italy should have a transformer, either obtained before leaving your country or bought at an electrical appliance shop in Italy. Plugs have round prongs not flat, therefore an adaptor plug is needed. |
| Credit Cards / Traveler Checks |
Most reputable establishments will accept major credit cards. Those establishments accepting credit cards will post the logos in their front windows, just as they do in the USA, Canada and Australia.
The ATM (Automatic Teller Machines) in Italy are known as Bancomat. There are many to be found in the large cities and even in small towns. The machines operate just as they do in your country; at the beginning of the transaction, it prompts the user for the preferred language. Using a credit card, or even better, a debit card or your local bank ATM card is very easy. One must first locate either the Cirrus or BankMate symbol (on the Bancomat and on your card) to insure the card is usable on that particular unit. Cirrus and BankMate are the two most popular and widespread banking systems in the world so they are the best to have. If you are unsure about the compatibility or the banking systems, contact your credit card company or local bank. After discovering the system is compatible, simply withdrawal money as you would at home. Of course, in Italy the money will be dispensed as Euro, but when you return home, your bank will have converted the Euro into dollars using the most beneficial exchange rate of the month. Be careful though when using credit cards, as many banks are now charging large fees of 2.5% to 4% for cash advances, which negate any advantage of using the Bancomat in the first place. One's best bet is to use your regular ATM card and simply withdraw money from your account just as you would do at your local bank. In major Italian cities and tourist areas traveler checks are accepted. The rate of exchange is calculated on the daily rate of exchange shown on the newspapers. |
| Shopping |
Opening hours of shops vary from region to region. In general shops are open from 8.30am to 12.30pm and from 3.30/4.00pm until 7.00/7.30pm from Monday to Saturday. They are usually closed on Monday morning. |
| Weights & measures |
The metric system is standard throughout the country. |
| How to shop Tax Fee |
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| National Airport |
Fiumicino Airport Rome (FCO), Malpensa Airport Milan (MXP), Florence (FLR), Venice (VCE) |
| Major Tourist Attractions |
Rome, Florence, Venice, Tuscany, Amalfi Coast, Pisa, Pompeii, Sicily |
| Tipping Suggestion |
A 10 to 15 percent service charge is usually added to restaurant bills, but waiters expect an additional 5%-10% tip per person. Taxi drivers should be tipped based on quality of service—usually 8%–10%. Tip hotel staff 1-2 Euros depending on the standard of hotel. Cinema and theater ushers expect a small tip for showing you to your seats. (Not many cinemas have ushers these days though.) Give something to sacristans or custodians if they have opened up churches or museums especially for your benefit, or outside normal hours. Never tip less than 1 Euro. |
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Destinations
Rome
