It’s always helpful to have some quick tips and suggestions about your travel destination before leaving. In this Know Before You Go article, we have collected some of the best tips, tricks, suggestions, and knowledge about Italy. This information will improve the quality of a trip to Italy and reduce the pre-trip anxiety that many feel when planning their vacation.
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Connectivity Abroad
Staying connected to the rest of your life can be important. While I encourage you to unplug at least a little while on vacation, completely unplugging isn’t always an option. If you are unfamiliar with the general options for international connectivity, I recommend that you read our post on “How to Stay Connected on Vacation“.
US Cell Phone Providers
The big three US cell phone providers all have solid coverage and availability within Italy. As shown above (left is Verizon and the right side is AT&T – T-Mobile doesn’t publish an international map), the entire country is covered. While there may be a few areas with weak signals in the countryside and Alps, it is rare to experience a loss of coverage. This is because all the US carriers are using the towers of local Italian cell providers for their coverage.
Getting coverage through your home US cell service provider is by far the easiest coverage option, but it sometimes isn’t the cheapest.
Italian Cell Providers
WindTre (left), Vodafone (center-left), TIM (center-right), and Iliad (right) are the primary providers of cell phone services in Italy. If you have an unlocked phone that takes a SIM card (which is becoming more common in the US), you can pick up a local SIM card to use. This local SIM card won’t have the same phone number that you use at home, but it will allow calling local numbers in Italy for fairly cheap.
If you are looking for the highest speed coverage, your will want to look at WindTre. WindTre has the largest and most extensive 5G network in all of Italy. If coverage for text messages, phone calls, and 3G data rates are acceptable either WindTre or TIM should be good for you. Vodafone ranks shortly behind those two in-network high-speed coverage; however, they have a lot of slow-speed coverage in remote areas. Iliad brings up the rear with the worst signal of all four. If you are only staying in major cities, this may not be an issue. However, if you go to the mountains or countryside you are likely to see issues with Iliad.
Overall the prices for coverage in Italy are quite reasonable. With four companies competing for customers, the prices have been driven down pretty low. You can purchase a local SIM card at the airport, in a dedicated store, or online. The most popular option is generally the airport SIM shop. However, visitors will pay more for this convenience. Conversely, these shops cater to more tourists and will have an attendant who probably speaks English. You will have to decide if the extra cost is worth it.
Typical Weather and Climate
Temperatures
Temperatures throughout Italy vary widely. The Alps Mountains in the north obviously have much lower temperatures than Milan. Plus, these northern destinations are cooler than the Mediterranean climate of much of the rest of Italy.
In the northernmost Alps areas and Po Valley (around Venice and Milan), the weather is surprisingly temperate unless you are on top of the peaks. For example, Ortisei (a popular village near the alpine plateau) rarely gets above 85°F in the summer. However, it almost never drops below 26°F in the winter. The shoulder seasons in this part of the country are also fairly nice with the temperatures ranging from 45°F to 76°F. This provides great hiking and outdoor weather in both the summer and either of the shoulder seasons.
Looking further south in Italy, most of the country has a Mediterranean climate due to its position on the Mediterranean Sea. This is the climate that is most associated with the whole country. Mediterranean climates feature relatively hot and sunny days (especially during the summer). However, the heat is typically diminished by the breeze that comes off the sea. The temperatures in these areas get just a bit higher during the summer with regular highs around 88°F. The higher temperatures are also evident in the winter, and these cities almost never see freezing temperatures (lows are approximately 41°F). While the heat can be intense for some tourist activities, the Mediterranean breeze really helps to keep the heat manageable.
Daylight Hours
Italy is located between 36°N and 48°N latitude. For context, this is a similar latitude to the region between Virginia and Maine in the United States. Therefore, the daylight hours will be very similar to that of the northern United States. In the peak of summer (June and July), most days will see a little over 15 hours of daylight. In contrast, during the winter months, a little over 9 hours of daylight is fairly common. Obviously, the longer days mean more time for tours, and many attractions stay open longer in the summer. This, coupled with the warmer temperatures, makes the summer the peak travel time for Italy.
Shoulder seasons in April – May and September – October still get a good amount of daylight around 12 – 14 hours. This should still be plenty to see the sights and do the tours. As an added bonus, crowds should be less during these months due to typical school schedules.
Precipitation
The extent of the rain varies throughout Italy based on location. The climate varies drastically from the valley of Milan and Venice to the Alps Mountains of the north, the Mediterranean climate along the Mediterranean Sea, and the central Italian climates away from the coast.
The region containing Milan and Venice is named the Po Valley. This area has a fairly mild climate, and the amount of precipitation matches it. The area receives between 25 and 40 inches of rain each year. The majority of the rain arrives in the spring and fall with the summer and winter seeing less rain.
The vast majority of the 10 Days in North Italy Itinerary spends its time in this region. When touring Venice, rain isn’t much of an issue. While you will want to experience the canals and plazas on a sunny day to get the full effect, there are tons of things to do in Venice when it rains. Milan will be very similar. It is a major modern city with a lot of exploration of indoor places. However, the rain ruins the exploration of Lake Como given that the vast majority of the time is spent explores outside areas.
The Mediterranean coastline makes up the majority of the rest of Italy. Rain in these areas is fairly rare with less than 8 days of rain being common year-round. The chance of rain in these areas even drops lower during the summer and shoulder months of May – September. In July and August, it’s not uncommon to have only 3 days where it rains during the month. While it’s always good to have backup plans for rainy days, this is one location where you could probably get away without those plans.
All in all, you are unlikely to have rain mess up any significant plans in Italy. Summer travel is highly likely to have great weather. However, this often means higher prices and more tourists. If you plan to go during shoulder and off-seasons, plan some backup activities. A great option is to plan your schedule so that different days can be rearranged based on the weather.
Tipping
Tipping is not generally expected throughout Italy (similar to the rest of Europe). When a tip is left, it is generally small and only in limited circumstances (such as for excellent service). If you receive excellent service, use the below for the recommended amounts.
- Restaurants – Leave a few euros on the table. You generally will not have the option to add a tip to the credit card bill. Even if you do have this option, the tip generally doesn’t make its way back to your waiter so avoid it. Two charges that will appear on bills to be aware of are below:
- Servizio – A service charge (included tip). Restaurants change a servizio for large tables or in very touristy areas. It is generally between 15% – 20% of the total bill. If a restaurant charges a servizio, there is no need to add an additional tip.
- Coperto – A cover charge that many restaurants will add for the use of the table, linens, silverware, and generally includes bread on the table. This is generally a couple of euros, but it is not a tip.
- Bars/Pubs – Round up your bar tab to the nearest euro if they are a particularly good company or provide great service.
- Taxis – It is not customary to tip a taxi driver. If you want to round up your purchase for convenience, it is a nice gesture not having to provide a small amount of change.
- Tours – Tours and sightseeing is one area where tipping has become common in Italy. This is probably a case where the American (and other foreign countries’) tipping culture influenced Italy. The amount of an appropriate tip for this type of activity is variable. It should be proportional to the amount that was initially paid for the experience. Somewhere around 10% is generally customary but use your best judgment. Also, adjust this up or down depending on the quality of the tour and the level of service provided.
Time Zone
Italy is located in the Central European Time Zone (UTC +1). Italy observes daylight savings time (DST) in the summer. Therefore, for the vast majority of the year, Italy is 6 hours ahead of New York (Eastern Time) and 9 hours ahead of Los Angeles (Pacific Time). DST starts in Italy on the last Sunday in March of each year and ends on the last Sunday in October. This is the same for almost all European countries. While the majority of the daylight savings time periods overlap between the US and Italy, the US DST timeframe is a little longer at the start and end. When the US is on DST and Italy is not, the difference is 5 hours for Eastern Time and 8 hours for Pacific Time.
This is a significant enough time change to notice the lack of sleep during the overnight flight from the US. This will cause travelers to be drowsy on the first day. Some care will be required to set up your sleep patterns for success. Sleep rhythm generally improves after the first day or two, but this is the point at which it can become difficult for some people.
Electrical Plugs
Italy utilizes the C-type, F-type, and L-type plugs. The C-type plugs are used throughout Europe (with the exception of the British Isles). So if you have a converter appropriate for the rest of Europe, it will work here as well. Type-F and type-L plugs are very similar to a type-C but have the addition of a third grounding pin. The vast majority of the time, a type-C plug or adapter will work in all three of these outlet styles. The only exception would be items that need a lot of current (hairdryers, curling irons, etc…). These types of appliances most often need to have the exact style plug necessary to support the electricity draw required.
Italy’s electric supply operates at 230 Volts and 50 Hz like the rest of Europe. The vast majority of electric devices operate on anything between 100V and 240 Volts. Therefore, laptops, tablets, phones, and similar devices should be fine. However, it is wise to check electric devices that use more electricity for compatibility. Similar to the plug requirements above, items like hair dryers, curling irons, straighteners, heaters, etc. aren’t as forgiving when it comes to the voltages that they will accept. If they aren’t able to handle Italy’s voltage or frequency, damage to the device may occur. Look at the electrical tag for the range of Volts (V) and frequency (Hz) that the device can handle.
The vast majority of the electrical items brought on a trip will just require a plug adapter. A type A (US Plug) to type C/F/L (Italy and Europe Plug) are generally inexpensive. I suggest a universal adapter if you travel to a number of different international destinations, but a type A to type C adapter will work well if you aren’t sure you need the added flexibility. Pick up several adapters to ensure that you can charge/use all your devices at the same time. Otherwise, you might be left choosing between charging your phone, tablet, or computer overnight.
Words to Know
It should be fairly obvious that the majority of Italy speaks Italian. However, you may be surprised to find out that there are several other languages spoken in Italy. For example, many parts of Northern Italy speak primarily German. These were formally ruled by Austria-Hungry until the time of the world wars. There are people alive today who were living when the territory was part of a Germanic kingdom; therefore, German is still heavily spoken. However, despite other languages being spoken in some pockets, the majority of people will speak Italian. English is also widely spoken in Italy (especially in the larger cities). Still, it is helpful to know some Italian words and phrases prior to traveling:
- Yes – Si
- No – No
- Please – Per favore
- Thank you – Grazie
- You’re Welcome – Prego or di niente
- Excuse me: Mi scusi
- How much? – Quanto?
- Hello – Ciao or Salve
- Goodbye – Ciao or Arrivederci
- How are you? – Come sta?
- What is your name? – Come si chiama?
- My name is … – Mi chiamo …
- Bathroom – Bagno
- Restaurant – Resitorante
- Check, please – Il conto, per favore
- Airport – Aeroporto
- Train – Treno
- Ticket – Bigletto
