italy – general country facts

The following information has been obtained from the Italian Tourist Board website and is intended to provide a general overview only. For more detailed information I suggest you visit their excellent website which can be found at http://www.italiantouristboard.co.uk/.

General Facts

Area: 301,337 square kilometres
Population: 56,133,039
Population density: 187/sq.k.
Capital: Rome

Time Zone

GMT + 1

Languages Spoken

Italian is the official language. However in the South Tyrol Province both Italian and German are the official languages and in the Aosta Valley Region both Italian and French are the official languages.

Country Dialing Code

+39

Currency

Euro € 

Airports

The main airports are:

• Rome: Fiumicino (FCO) and Ciampino (CIA),
• Milan: Linate (LIN) and Malpensa (MXP), 
  

Other airports:

• Alghero (AHO), Ancona (AOI), Bari (BRI), Bergamo (BGY), Bologna (BLG), Brindisi (BDS), Catania (CTA), Cagliari (CAG), Firenze (FLR), Forli’ (FRL), Genova (GOA, ), Lamezia Terme (SUF), Naples (NAP), Olbia (OLB), Palermo (PMO), Perugia (PEG), Pescara (PSR), Pisa (PSA), Reggio Calabria (REG), Rimini (RMI), Treviso (TSF), Trieste (TRS), Turin (TRN), Venice (VCE) and Verona (VRN).

Banking Hours

Banks in Italy are open Monday to Friday from 8.30 am to 1.30 pm and from 3.00 pm to 4.30 pm, although afternoon opening hours may vary from city to city.

Some banks are also open on Saturday morning until 1.30 pm. Banks are closed on Sundays and national holidays and a town’s patron Saint’s day.

All major credit cards are widely accepted in Italy (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, etc.).

Shopping

Shops are open from 9.00/9.30 am to 12.30/1.00 pm and from 3.30/4.00 pm to 7.30/8.00 pm. Shops and supermarkets are closed on Sundays and Mondays or Wednesdays plus bank holidays.

Markets
Most towns have a street market held which is held once a week in the morning.

Climate

Italy is blessed with a temperate climate. However, the weather does vary considerably across the country.

The winter in Italy is very cold in the Alps but can be mild and even warm on the Ligurian coast, the Neapolitan coast and in Sicily.

The summer in Italy is hot and dry, but the temperature is mitigated on the coast by sea breezes. and in the Apennines and Alps it is pleasantly cool.

The mountain areas are ideal for skiing in the winter and walking excursions in the summer. Coastal and lake resorts are busy and vibrant in the summer and cities rich in art treasures are perfect to visit in the spring and autumn.

Italian Tourism Organisation Office

United Kingdom
1 Princes Street
London W1B 2AY
Tel: 020 7408 1254
Fax: 020 7399 3567
www.italiantouristboard.co.uk

Embassies & Consulates of Italy

United Kingdom
Italian Embassy
14 Three Kings Yard
Davies Street
London W1Y 2EH
Tel: 020 7312 2200
Fax: 020 7312 2230
Website: www.embitaly.org.uk/
Email: emblondon@embitaly.org.uk

Italian Consulate
38 Eaton Place
London SW1X 8AN
Tel: 020 7235 9371
Fax: 020 78231609
Email: itconlond@btconnect.com

Italian Consulate in Manchester
111 Piccadilly
Manchester M1 2HY
Tel: 0161 236 9024
Email: italian.consulate@btconnect.com
Website: www.italianconsulate.co.uk/

Ireland
The Italian Embassy
63/65 Northumberland Road
Ballsbridge
Dublin 4
Tel: 01 660 1744/01 664 2300/01 664 2301
Fax: 01 668 2759
Email: info@italianembassy.ie 

Public Holidays

Offices and shops are also closed in the following cities on local Feast days honouring their patron Saints.