A Few Facts About Italy
Currency €: The Euro is the currency of Italy. (ATM machines are used widely throughout).
Visa: Australian passport holders do not require a visa for stays up to 3 months. Once visitors arrive in Italy, those who will not be staying in a hotel or similar accommodation facility must register with the local police headquarters within 8 days of their arrival in the country. Visitors staying in hotels or other tourist accommodation facilities will automatically be registered upon reception there.
Driving: Driving is on the right hand side of the road (opposite to Australia), and an International driver’s license is compulsory.
Language: Italian is the official language of Italy. English is widely spoken in the main cities.
Various Electrical: AC – the cycle is 50Hz 220 V.
Medical Emergency: dial 118
Time differences between Italy and Australia: Italy is Greenwich Mean Time +1 hour (+2 during daylight saving (DST)). The applicable time zones are Central European Time (CET) or Central European Summer Time (CEST). DST starts on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October.
All seasons are good for travelling in ITALY.
SPRING (March–May): Spring comes early in Italy, and it’s the ideal time for holidays in locations such as Florence, the Gulf of Naples, the Sorrento peninsula, the Aeolian Island, Sicily and Rome.
SUMMER (June – August): Numerous beach resorts are located along the Ligurian and Adriatic Rivieras, as well as magnificent beaches on the Tyrrhenian, Adriatic, and Ionian shores and in Sardinia. At this time of year, vacations in the mountains are particularly attractive at Alpine resorts such as Ortisei, Cervinia, and Cortina d’Ampezzo and in the Apennines at Abetone (Tuscany), Roccaraso (Abruzzo), Sila (Calabria), or Mt. Etna in Sicily.
AUTUMN (September – November): Autumn is delightful at Merano and Bressanone in the Dolomites, on the lakes of Lombardy, in Rome, Apulia, on Italy’s beautiful islands and for visiting Italy’s many spas.
WINTER (December – February): Of course, winter is the winter sports season. Sports centres can be found in the Alps and many other parts of Italy, such as the central Apennines, on the Aspromonte in Calabria, and in Sicily. Winters are delightfully mild on the Ligurian and Neapolitan coasts and in Sicily. This is also the best time to visit the art cities and avoid the crowds.
