Practical information for travellers in Italy

Living Conditions

Eating

Food Specialties

Italian cuisine is internationally renowned for its use of quality olive oil and for its pasta.

Antipasto is considered to be the traditional hors-d'oeuvre and means ‘before the meal’. The contents of antipasto vary considerably by region, but often include some of the following: cured meats, olives, anchovies, artichoke hearts, various cheeses, various cured meats and vegetables marinated in olive oil (aubergines, peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, etc.).
Some famous dishes include: marinated aubergines, aubergines parmigiana (aubergines baked with Parmesan and mozzarella), asparagus with Parmigiano Reggiano, broccoli alla romana, scalopina alla milanese, pizza, risotto alla Milanese or a wide variety of pasta dishes (lasagne, spaghetti, ravioli, etc.).

Desserts often vary by region, but some famous examples include: tiramisu, zabaione (or zabaglione), cassata, panna cotta and gelato.

There is a wide variety of quality cheeses to be found in Italy such as: Gorgonzola, Parmesan, mozzarella, mascarpone, ricotta and many others.

Drinks

Italian wines are well-known abroad. They are named according to region of origin and type of grape. Some famous examples include Chianti (Tuscany), Nobile di Montepulciano (Tuscany), Brunello (Tuscany), Frascati (Rome), Albano (Rome), Barolo (Valle d’Aosta), Valpolicella (Vento), Cabernet (Friuli-Venezia) and Pinot Nero (Friuli- Venezia).

The most well-known aperitifs are Campari and PunteMes. Among well-known Italian liqueurs, one can choose from Amaretto, Limoncello, Grappa and Strega.

Italians often enjoy drinking a coffee or a cappuccino in a bar, usually in a hurry. Young people like going to bars in the afternoon for a tea or an aperitif. You can find plenty of bars, wine bars, pubs, etc. ready to serve aperitifs from 6pm until dinner time.

Dietary Restrictions

There are no dietary restrictions in the country.

Paying

Domestic Currency

Euro

ISO Code

EUR

To Obtain Domestic Currency

There are no ATMs, but instead small bureaus with a sign saying 'change'. You can find these in all the larger towns, but they are not as common in small villages.

Possible Means of Payment

You can pay in cash or with a credit card (Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa). Checks are also taken, but they must be in EUR, GBP or USD.

Speaking

Official Language

Italian is the official language, but there are some regions with linguistic minority groups, including Alto Adige (German) and Aoste (French).

Other Languages Spoken

The use of dialects is very common in Italy. Albanian is spoken by approximately 120,000 people (80,000 of which reside in southern Italy). Approximately 1.2 million people in Sardinia speak Sardinian, with 20,000 in the northeast also speaking Gallurese.

Business Language

An increasing number of Italians have some knowledge of English, but it is advisable to correspond in Italian for initial contact. This could speed up communication and help avoid misunderstandings. In any case, most firms are able to communicate in English.

Getting Some Knowledge

Use the travlang website.

Free Translation Tools

Evta website : To do on-line translations
IATE : The European Union Dictionary (12 languages avalaible)
SYSTRAN : Free English-Italian-English traduction of texts and web pages

Useful Resources

To Find an Accommodation

See the National association of hotels website (Federalberghi)
VillaRentItaly
Easystanza.it
Look at the 'Azienda Autonoma Soggiorno e turismo' website in the location where you would like to go.
HostelWorld

To Find an Apartment

Casa Click
Idealista

Immobiliare

To Find a Job

Infojob.it
Indeed
Lavoro e Carriere