How Things Work in Italy
Everything Tourists Need to Know
Tipping is not obligatory in Italy. Round up or leave €1–2 for good service. The 'coperto' cover charge is separate from a tip.
Updated 2025-01
Italian cities have buses and trams. Rome and Milan have metros. Validate your ticket immediately — inspectors are frequent and fines are €100+.
Updated 2025-01
EU citizens use EHIC for free or reduced-cost care. Non-EU tourists should have travel insurance. Emergency care is available to all at public hospitals.
Updated 2025-01
Many Italian cities ban sitting on monuments, eating near fountains, and other tourist behaviors with heavy fines. Know the local restrictions.
Updated 2025-01
Police: 113 or 112. Ambulance: 118. Fire: 115. Carabinieri (military police): 112.
Updated 2025-01
Modest dress required at churches — cover shoulders and knees. Italians dress well in cities. No beachwear in city streets, especially in smaller towns.
Updated 2025-01
Drinking age is 18. Wine is part of every meal. Public drinking is legal in most areas. Some cities ban street drinking at night.
Updated 2025-01
Fixed prices in shops and restaurants. Bargaining is normal at outdoor markets, antique fairs, and with artisans for custom goods.
Updated 2025-01
Photography is broadly allowed at tourist sites. Many museums ban photography or flash. Check rules at each site. Privacy laws apply to individuals.
Updated 2025-01
Many Italian shops close Sunday or open shorter hours. Restaurants are generally open. On public holidays, most things close — plan ahead.
Updated 2025-01
Official white taxis with meters are reliable; use itTaxi or Uber to book safely and avoid unmarked touts, especially at major train stations.
Updated 2025-06
Tap water is safe to drink in all Italian cities, and Rome's famous nasone street fountains provide free cold drinking water throughout the city.
Updated 2025-06
Cash remains important in Italy, especially in smaller towns and markets; use bank ATMs such as Intesa Sanpaolo or UniCredit and always decline dynamic currency conversion.
Updated 2025-06
TIM offers the best national coverage; buy a local SIM at airports, tabacchi (tobacconists), or carrier stores for affordable data across Italy.
Updated 2025-06
Italy uses 230V/50Hz with its own unique Type L plug (three round pins in a row), though Type C adapters usually fit; bring a universal adapter to be safe.
Updated 2025-06
Rome's tourist areas have notable pickpocket activity and common scams; stay alert at the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Vatican, and on buses 40 and 64.
Updated 2025-06
Italy is generally safe for tourists, but petty theft is a real risk in Rome and Naples; Florence and Venice have very low crime rates.
Updated 2025-06
Italians value bella figura (making a good impression), greet with two cheek kisses, drink cappuccino only in the morning, and take dinner very late.
Updated 2025-06
Italian is the national language; English is spoken in tourist areas and hotels but limited outside them, especially in southern Italy.
Updated 2025-06
Italy has world-class beaches from Sardinia's white sand to Puglia's Adriatic coast; free public beaches (spiagge libere) exist alongside paid beach clubs.
Updated 2025-06
Drive on the right; ZTL restricted traffic zones in historic city centres are camera-enforced and generate automatic fines for foreign plates weeks after the visit.
Updated 2025-06
Italian meals follow strict timing and regional variation; coperto (cover charge) appears on every bill and tourist-zone restaurants near sights are dramatically overpriced.
Updated 2025-06
Vatican dress code (shoulders and knees covered) is strictly enforced with no exceptions; photography is banned inside the Sistine Chapel.
Updated 2025-06
April–June and September–October offer the best weather and smaller crowds; July–August is extremely hot and overcrowded, especially in Rome and southern Italy.
Updated 2025-06
Stand at the bar for coffee, eat pizza al taglio by the slice, use the pranzo fisso lunch menu, and seek free entry churches to dramatically cut daily costs.
Updated 2025-06