Public phones are easy to find. They're literally everywhere, and most bars and coffee shops will have one on the premises. The phone booths are egg-shaped and are usually painted a bright orange color for easy recognition. You can pay for a public phone with coins (monete), with a phone card (scheda telefonica), or with a credit card (carta di credito). Some older phones will only take coins, and some of the newer phones will only take a phone or credit card.

Phone cards can be purchased from machines at the airport and train stations and at most tobacco stores and bars. They are available in various denominations. To use the phone card, you must first break off the perforated corner in the upper part of the card, which will allow the card to fit into the slot on the phone. Once you've inserted the card, it is activated.

You may come across public Internet Corners. They can be used with phone cards. These stations may not work very well, so do not depend on them for Internet access.

Emergency Numbers

In the rare instance that you need to get in touch with emergency services, here is how to reach them:

• 112: Emergencies. Much like 911 in the United States, this is a European Union-wide emergency number with multilingual operators that can route your emergency to the appropriate agency.

• 113: Emergencies (local police). Polizia di stato, national civilian police.

• 115: Fire department.

• 117: Guardia di finanza (financial police). If a business has cheated you, this is the number to call.

• 118: Ambulance.

Cell Phones

We've become accustomed to the convenience of having a cell phone on our persons. Whether you plan on bringing your cell phone with you or buying (or renting) one while you're there, this section will give some valuable pointers.

GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) is a type of cell phone and network that is used in most countries in the world, including Europe. Some U.S. cell phone service providers use GSM, but most do not. You will need a GSM phone in Italy. GSM phones are sometimes called world phones because they can be used around the world.

Check with your cell phone service provider to determine if yours is a GSM phone. If it is not, world phones can be purchased easily and inexpensively from numerous online vendors. If you have a GSM phone, check with your service provider to determine the costs involved with using your phone while you are abroad. Some companies offer reasonable rates for use abroad, while others are quite expensive.

If your U.S. cellular service provider does not offer international service, it is possible — and often economical — to rent a world phone complete with a SIM card from a reputable online source such as RangeRoamer (www.rangeroamer.com) or Call in Europe (www.callineurope.com). Waiting until you arrive in Italy and renting a phone at the airport or from a cell phone store is possible but time-consuming.

SIM Cards

A SIM (Subscriber Information Module) card is a small chip inserted into your phone that contains your cell phone number and your account information. The SIM card can easily be switched from one phone to another. Provided you're in possession of a world phone, it may be possible for you to purchase a SIM card in Italy and simply use it while you travel. This is a good option all over Europe because cell phone plans in Europe do not require lengthy contract commitments. SIM cards come with a certain number of prepaid minutes; once you've used your minutes, you can either discard the SIM card or purchase more minutes. Also, there is no per-minute charge for incoming calls.

Telephone Vocabulary

cell phone	telefonino/cellulare teh-leh-foh-NEE-noh/chehl-loo-LAH-reh
reverse charges/collect call	a carico del destinatario ah KAH-ree-koh dehl des-tee-nah-TAH-ree-oh
busy	occupato ohk-koo-PAH-toh
please hold	stia in linea STEE-ah een LEE-nay-ah
to hang up	riagganciare ree-ah-gahn-CHAH-ray
to call back	richiamare ree-kyah-MAH-ray
to ring	squillare skwee-LAH-ray
telephone	il telefono eel teh-LEH-foh-noh
telephone booth	la cabina telefonica lah kah-BEE-nah teh-leh-FOH-nee-kah
telephone call	la telefonata lah teh-leh-foh-NAH-tah
telephone directory	la guida telefonica lah GWEE-dah teh-leh-FOH-nee-kah
telephone number	il numero di telefono eel NOO-meh-roh dee teh-LEH-foh-noh
dialing tone	il segnale acustico eel sehn-YAH-lay ah-KOO-stee-koh