Country Guide for Italy

Our General Information series are intended to provide some understanding of aspects of a country which a visitor may encounter and to assist the adoption of appropriate expectations.
Being brief they are highly selective, and should be amplified with an intelligent guidebook or other publications. They attempt to avoid the cosy upbeat tone of much travel writing and sometimes contain controversial passages. While largely compiled by staff in the MRT office, they are critically appraised by natives of the country and our freelance lecturers.

They are sent to all participants both with the confirmation of booking and again with the final documents about ten days before the tour.

Passports and visas
Italy is a member of the European Union. United Kingdom citizens do not require a visa. Citizens of Australia do not require a visa for tourist stays of up to 90 days. Citizens of other non-EU countries should check visa requirements with the relevant consulates. The telephone number of the Italian Consulate General Visa Information Line is 0871 376 0023.

We advise that your passport be valid for at least six months beyond the end of the tour as this is now becoming a standard requirement, even if this information is not supplied by consulates.

We recommend that you take photocopies of the relevant pages of your passport and any visa in case of loss of the original documents.

Insurance
If you are ordinarily resident in the UK you are entitled to a UK-issued EHIC (European Health Insurance Card). (This replaced the old E111 in January 2006.) You can apply for an EHIC online at www.ehic-ie.org, or by telephone 0845 606 2030, or by application form (available from the Post Office). The EHIC expires after three to five years. Please check that yours is still valid.

The EHIC entitles you to free or reduced-cost medical treatment in EU countries and Switzerland. There are very few other countries that have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with the UK for medical treatment.

We must stress that private travel insurance – with adequate cover for medical treatment, repatriation and cancellation – is an essential addition to the EHIC, and is a condition of booking with us. Please register any existing medical conditions with your insurance provider.

Health & safety
For more information about medical treatment abroad and staying healthy while travelling we refer you to www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk or a document entitled Live Well: travel health online at www.nhs.uk/healthcareabroad. There is also country specific advice on this webpage. The Department of Health no longer produces hard copies of these documents.

Vaccinations
For most of Western Europe additional vaccination beyond what is required for life in Britain is not necessary.  We refer you to www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk and to your doctor or practice nurse.

Pharmacies are generally of a high standard with well–trained staff who can advise on minor ailments.

Safety and security
Most visits to Italy are trouble-free, but street crime is a risk everywhere nowadays and vigilance should be exercised. Valuables not actually required, documents of no use during the tour (driving licence, library tickets etc.) and items of sentimental value should be left at home. Always leave passports, money or other valuables in the safe or in locked luggage in your hotel room. Avoid carrying your passport around with you unnecessarily; reporting the loss of a passport to the police can be a time-consuming as well as stressful experience. Keep your camera out of view as far as possible when you are not using it, particularly in busy city centres. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket: spread your money and cards around.

The prevalence of street crime varies across the country, but tends to be greater in the larger cities, such as Rome, Florence, Naples and Bari. You should be wary of groups of gypsies, who have developed techniques and ruses for stealing wallets and handbags.

Up to date Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advice is available on the internet at http://www.fco.gov.uk or on BBC2 Ceefax page 470 onwards. The telephone number of the FCO Travel Advice Unit is 0845 850 2829.

Coaches: If the coach is fitted with seatbelts you are legally obliged to wear these, otherwise you may be subject to a fine.

Weather and clothing
Italy is geographically one of the most varied countries in Europe. It is impossible therefore to give much useful guidance here; see the ‘Further Information’ specific to the tour you have booked for average temperatures.

However, generalities have some validity: coastal areas benefit from the moderating influence of sea temperatures and summer breezes, contrasting with the continental climate of the inland plains, such as the Po Valley, which can be subject to particularly high levels of humidity in winter and summer.

Money
The currency is the Euro. All major credit cards are widely accepted, and can be used to withdraw cash from ATMs/cash machines.

Prices? Again, it is difficult to make generalisations, as there is a great deal of variety within the peninsula, and sometimes even within one city of region. Restaurant prices are rarely higher than in London and S.E. England, and lunchtime meals in local trattorias can still be very good value for money.

Miscellaneous information
Smoking: It is now illegal to smoke in enclosed places (other than one's own home or specially designated smoking rooms). This includes restaurants, bars, hotels, coaches etc.

Electricity: Italy uses 220 V, AC at 50 cycles/second (as in the UK). Sockets generally take standard Continental round two-pin plugs.

Shops: in many areas shops still close for lunch, and may not reopen until as late as 4 p.m., but close much later than in the UK. This is particularly the case in Southern Italy and outside the larger cities. Shops tend to be closed on Monday mornings.

Banks are generally open Monday to Friday, 9.00 to 13.30/14.00. Some exchange bureaux are open daily.

Stamps
Avoid post offices – queues can be long – and head for a tabaccheria, rather like a small newsagents, where most stamps can be bought; look out for the 'T' sign displayed outside the shop.

Travel kettles: Italian law does not permit the use of kettles in hotel rooms. Please do not take travel kettles with you.

Receipts: it is essential to retain your receipt after any purchase, as fiscal police may ask to see one as you emerge from a shop/restaurant/bar. Such measures have been introduced in Italy in an attempt to curb tax evasion.
You may find binoculars useful in churches and palaces or for the wildlife. In some churches torches are also a help.
Bathroom floors are sometimes tiled and slippers desirable.

Language
English is now far more widely spoken in Italy compared to even a few years ago, particularly in major tourist centres and hotels. However, in some rural, 'off the beaten track' areas you may find that English is still little understood.

Dialects are still widely spoken in Italy, and it is still the case in some regions that the older generation are far happier communicating in their regional dialect or language than in standard Italian. Nonetheless, the vast majority of Italians nowadays are completely fluent in 'textbook' Italian, although they may continue to use dialect some of the time, particularly with family and friends. Inevitably accents vary greatly across Italy, and even within one region.

Even a minimal effort at speaking Italian is well received and appreciated.

Politics, society and economy

The complexities of the current political, economic and social situation in Italy could not possibly be summarised here, but if you are interested in learning more about these aspects of Italian life, we refer you to a number of publications, notably Matt Frei's The Unfinished Revolution (1996, Mandarin) and the very opinionated The Dark Heart of Italy: Travels through Time and Space across Italy by Tobias Jones (Faber, 2003). These and other books challenge stereotypical images of Italy, counterbalancing the many clichés of Bella Italia, and attempt to explain some of the inner workings of Italian society.

Eating
'There is no such thing as Italian cooking' is a comment found in virtually all books dedicated to Italian cuisine. Regional differences are still very evident, and for this reason we give more detail about food and wine on the separate information prepared for each tour or festival.

Nonetheless, a few general rules can be drawn, and one of these is that there is a basic distinction between the traditional diets of the North and the South: Southern Italians consume a classic Mediterranean diet based on olive oil, fresh vegetables and fruit, and Northern Italians eat more rice, butter and other dairy products. The common theme is that good Italian cooking relies on local produce, in whichever part of Italy you may be, which helps to ensure quality and freshness.

Italian food now occupies a revered place amongst the world's cuisines. This elevated status can create high expectations, which are not always met. It is still possible to eat badly in Italy, or in a way that does not conform to images of what Italian food should be, so places to eat need to be chosen with care, and monitored continually.

Many restaurants in Italy are simply an extension of the home dining table: innovation and experimentation are rarely on the menu, (contrasting with some of London and New York's trendy Italian establishments). Meals tend to be long, drawn-out affairs, with numerous dishes; it can be hard to convince some restaurateurs to serve 'only' two or three courses, four or five being the norm. It is unusual for restaurants to open before 7.30 p.m. in the evening, and it is considered early to eat at this time.

You may find it more convenient if you are participating on a music tour or festival, and have evening concerts or operas to attend, to have a large lunch, rather than attempting to fit in a rushed evening meal before or after the performance.

A cover charge of a few Euros is normally added to your restaurant bill, listed as coperto. In some restaurants you may find there is no written menu: a waiter will reel off a list of what's on that day, sometimes at speed.

Vegetarianism is still considered an alien concept in Italy, and consequently restaurant staff may be somewhat confused as to how to cater for vegetarians. It may be preferable if you do not eat meat or fish to try and order a number of starters, which often happen to be vegetarian, particularly in the south of Italy.

We forward to the hotels and restaurants any requests for special diets made to us, but arrangements often have to be made again on the spot.

Breakfast. Most Italian hotels in the 3- to 5-star categories do now try to cater for Northern European tastes, providing buffet breakfasts with cheese and cold meats, and occasionally hot food. However, you may note a predominance of cakes and pastries on the buffet table, reflecting Italians' preference for sweet things at breakfast. Fresh fruit is not always available.

Drinking
Inexplicably coffee in many Italian hotels is of poor quality, while in local bars a high standard of coffee is consistently available, nearly always at a very reasonable price. Most hotel restaurants do have a proper coffee machine, of the type found in Italian bars, and an espresso or cappuccino can usually be ordered as an alternative to the pots of barely drinkable coffee provided at breakfast.

Although espresso and cappuccino are now very familiar drinks outside Italy, it should be noted that an espresso in Italy is usually much stronger and smaller than in the UK, and that cappuccinos are often served tepid rather than hot. If you prefer your coffee a little less strong than an espresso, i.e. with some hot water added, you should ask for a caffè lungo or caffè americano. There are other styles of coffee that you might like to try, such as caffè macchiato, an espresso with a little milk, and caffè corretto, with a shot of alcohol. Tea is often drunk cold in Italy, (te freddo), so you may have to specify you would like a te caldo, which either comes with lemon, con limone, or with milk, con latte; again, the barman or waiter may expect you to say which you would prefer.

Wine, water and coffee are included with the group meals. Should you wish to order a special wine or other alcoholic drink, please settle the bill directly with the restaurant.

Wine. The house wine served in many Italian restaurants is often a very simple, local wine, served in a jug or carafe, by the litre/half litre. While these wines can be perfectly drinkable, M.R.T. tends to 'upgrade' to a wine of a higher standard to ensure an acceptable quality of wine is served.

The variety of wines produced in Italy is enormous — the country grows one of the widest ranges of grape varieties in Europe — so there is insufficient space here to give detailed information. One general point worth making is that the DOC or Denominazione di Origine Controllata system is not necessarily a guarantee of quality — vino da tavola and IGT (Indicazione di Geografica Tipica, similar to vin de pays) are in some cases better wines. The DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) label is held in greater esteem, but then these wines are generally more expensive.

Cafés/bars. Generally the procedure in Italian bars is to pay for your drink first at the cash desk or cassa, and then to present your receipt or scontrino at the counter, specifying what you have ordered.

Please note that there are nearly always two price categories in a café: one for standing at the bar to drink or eat and one for sitting down (more expensive). Settling for 'standing only' prices, and then taking a seat will not be well received.