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Welcome to Italy

Welcome to Italy aims at providing you with comprehensive and practical information regarding life in Italy. Moving to Italy on a professional assignment, as anywhere else in the world, means facing a variety of obstacles that inevitably slow down the process of adjustment.

These pages are not a step by step guide to the Italian way of life nor do they provide solutions to specific problems. Their goal is to make expatriates aware of some fundamental aspects of the new environment that they will have to adjust to.

You could be moving to any part of Italy. North, close to the Alps or South, close to the Mediterranean. The novelty of your surroundings and the desire to understand the new environment will definitely help you approach initial adjustments in a positive state of mind.

Wherever you go you will have to apply for a Permesso di soggiorno (permit of stay), a Codice Fiscale (fiscal code number) and your Residenza (residence), find accommodation, send your children to school, open a bank account, insure your belongings, drive a car, know something about health care, shop for survival and pleasure and last but not least remember that you have a pet moving with you.

If you are a client of Settler International – a division of Europ Assistance in Italy – you will be assigned a personal host or hostess who will help you take care of organizing these and other adjustments in order to make your stay easier and more comfortable.

We hope these pages assist you in further understanding the necessary preparations for you and your family in relocating to Italy. Benvenuti in Italia! Welcome to Italy!

Some Useful Information

The English translation of Italian words in Italics is given the first time the word is used. If you can not remember the meaning of a word please consult the lexicon at the end of these pages

The date format used in Italy is day-month-year, while the 24-hour clock is used for time. Clocks are moved forward an hour in spring and move back in autumn.

The Italian way of writing an address is street name, number, area code, city name. Stamps can be bought at the post office or from a Tabaccaio (tobacconist). A tabaccaio can be easily spotted since it has a "T" sign posted outside. A cafe in Italy is called a "Bar", some have a tabaccaio counter where you can buy anything from cigarettes to bus tickets, stamps and phone cards.

Temperature readings including weather reports are on the Centigrade scale.

The Electricity supplied is 220 volts, 50 cycles AC.

Digit the city code before calling any telephone number, this applies to local calls as well. The international country code for Italy is 0039.

In Italy the Italian Lira is abbreviated "L" or "Lit.". The "L" precedes the numerical amount. Commas are used where Anglo-Saxons use periods and vice versa.

The "EURO" has replaced 11 European currencies, including the Lira, for non-cash transactions such as electronic transfers and credit card payments. Euro banknotes and coins will be introduced in the first half of 2002. The value of the Euro as of January 1999 is L.1,936.27.