Travel info 
Documents needed to enter Italy
For citizens of European Union countries that have joined the Schengen Treaty is sufficient an identity card or a valid passport. Citizens from all other countries must present passports at the border and, if necessary, be in possession of an entry permit and must indicate their duration of stay and the place of destination. The visa must be requested at Italian consulates in their country of residence (it is usually released after 90 days upon the request) specifying the reason for the trip. Once at your destination, and if you do not stay in a registered accommodation establishment, you must register with the police within 8 days of arrival. For tourists staying in hotels or other types of tourist accommodation, registration is done automatically by the front desk.
Roads and Motorways
Two main motorways connect northern and southern Italy: the Autostrada del Sole (A1, touching Milan, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Naples) and the Adriatica (the A14, which connects Bologna, Ancona, Pescara Bari and Taranto). On the motorways you have to pay the toll. You can use cash or credit card. Alternatively, there are faster methods, such as "Viacard" or "Telepass". Viacard is a magnetic card that can be used in automatic and manual barriers, or if present, given to the cashier. Telepass is an automatic payment system which is more convenient and faster, based on the recognition and remote electronic debit of the fee charged to the user: this allows the user to make the payment automatically by just passing through the toll without stopping, speeding up the transit and reducing the consumption of fuel.
For information on weather conditions, the cost of tolls or traffic reports you can make a stop at the "Punto Blu", located on all motorways or contact the Company's official website or call the Motorways Call Centre 840 - 042121, which is a 24 hour service. In addition to the motorway there is a dense network of other roads, signposted in blue and which connect regions or municipalities of different areas. Free of charge, the one or two-lane secondary routes offer breathtaking views and beautiful scenery that cannot be seen from the motorways, the journey may result in being a bit longer but at the same time much more interesting. Further information at www.autostrade.it and www.aci.it
Speed limits and requirements
For cars and motorcycles (over 150 cc of power): urban areas 50 km / h (31 mph), secondary roads 90 km / h (56 mph), main roads 110 km / h (68 MPH), motorways 130 km / h (81 mph). In case of rain or snow, the limit drops to 110 km / h on motorways and 90 km / h on main roads. To enforce speed limits, numerous cameras and electronic controls with detectors are installed all along the road and motorway network .
For a car with a trailer or caravan: in urban areas, the maximum speed is 50 km / h (31 mph) on secondary roads of 70 km / h (44 mph), on main roads of 70 km / h (44 mph), on motorways 80 km / h (50 mph).
Caravan with weight exceeding 3.5 tones but not exceeding 12 tones: urban areas 50 km / h (31 mph), secondary roads 80 km / h (50 mph), main roads 80 km / h (50 mph); highways 100 km / h (62 mph).
Vehicles need to be equipped with: warning triangle, spare tyre, reflective vest to be worn by drivers of vehicles stopped on the roadway, outside the towns, at night or in low visibility. It is compulsory also to have liability insurance. For those arriving from abroad it is recommended a green card insurance which can be taken even at the border, valid for 15, 30, or 45 days . In Italy, the blood alcohol limit for driving is 0, 5 grams per liter, an average level compared to the rest of Europe.
Currency
Currency used in Italy is the euro. There are eight different coins (1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents and 1 euro and 2) and seven notes (5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros). In addition to cash, you can pay for your purchases using major credit cards.
Tipping
Tipping is customary, to leave an amount equal to approximately 10% of the bill if the customer is satisfied with the service received.
Telephone calls
For calling an Italian phone number from abroad you must enter the country code, 0039 (+39), followed by phone number, whether you are calling from a landline or a mobile. to call out from Italy you must dial 00 (+) followed by the code for the country you are calling, followed by the phone number. To make calls within Italy, you must type the number without the international code. Making international calls with a mobile may result in being very expensive: it is advisable to buy a phone card and make these calls from a public phone.
Local time
Throughout Italy GMT + 1 is applied and daylight saving in summer: in early spring the clocks are moved forward one hour to take advantage of increased solar luminosity in the late afternoon-evening. In early autumn it is restored to Standard Time (also known as civil or conventional).
Local opening hours
In Italy breakfast is usually served from 7.00 am.
In hotels there is often a time (approximately 10.00 am) beyond which it is no longer possible to order breakfast.
Lunch in restaurants is usually served from 12.30pm till 14.30pm.
Dinner is served from 19.30pm till 23.00am.
Shops open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 12.30pm and from 15.30pm to 19.30pm, but the malls and department stores are often open all day from 10.00am to 21.00pm or 22.00pm. On several Sundays during the year the stores, mainly in big cities and shopping centers stay open.
Pharmacies and chemists follow the opening hours as shops, from 9.30am till 12.30pm and from 15.30pm till 19.30pm; in the large cities there are pharmacies which stay open 24 hours. For emergencies at night or during the closing days, the pharmacies are open according to a rota system. A calendar is displayed outside each store informing where the nearest open pharmacy is.
Italian electrical voltage
The electricity in Italy is 220 volts and is distributed at a frequency of 50 hertz. electrical outlets comply with the European legislation. In most hotels there are special adapter plugs.
No smoking
Since 2003 smoking has been banned in all public places. Exceptions are few, very few restaurants have seating areas for smokers.
For this general information the editors will not accept any liability
