At some point you'll want to speak on the telephone, whether it's to make hotel reservations, purchase tickets to a show, or arrange for a taxi to pick you up. The alfabeti telefonici (phonetic alphabet) is useful when spelling out words over the telephone, for example, or when speaking to officials.

Italians tend to use the names of Italian cities (when there is a corresponding town) rather than proper nouns to spell out words. For example, while you might say “M as in Michael,” an Italian is more likely to say M come Milano (M as in Milan). Examples for all other letters.

Italian Letter	Italian Word
A	Ancona
B	Bologna
C	Como
D	Domodossola
E	Empoli
F	Firenze
G	Genova
H	hotel
I	Imola
J	Jérusalem
K	kilogramma
L	Livorno
M	Milano
N	Napoli
O	Otranto
P	Padova
Q	quarto
R	Roma
S	Savona
T	Torino
U	Udine
V	Venezia
W	Washington
X	Xeres
Y	York
Z	Zara

Calling Italy from the United States and Canada

To place a call from the United States or Canada, first dial the United States international code 011, then dial Italy's country code 39, then dial the city code (06 for Rome, 055 for Florence), and finally dial the number, which can be six or seven digits. For example, if the Italian phone number is 055-55-55-55, you must dial the following: 011 39 0 55 55 55 55.

Calling Another Country from Italy

To place a call to another country from Italy, first dial the Europe long distance code 00, then the country code (1 for the United States and Canada), then the area code and number.

COUNTRY CODES OF OTHER COUNTRIES

United States	1
Canada	1
United Kingdom	44
France	33
Germany	49
Spain	34
Switzerland	41

Placing a Call Within Italy

Italian phone numbers are comprised of an area code (this can be from two to fours digits and begins with a zero) and the phone number. Cell phone area codes begin with the number 3, and area codes that begin with the number 8 are toll-free. To make a call from one area code to another, you must dial the full area code and number. To call within the same area code, you must dial the area code as well.

Public Phones

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 (monette), with a phone card (scheda telefonica), or with a credit card (carta di credito). Some older phones will only take coins, and some newer phones will only take a phone or credit card.

You can purchase phone cards from machines at the airport, train stations, and 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 the 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 personal cell phones. Whether you plan on bringing your cell phone with you or buying (or renting) one while you're there, this section will give you 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. 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 or Call in Europe. 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 pre-paid 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 telefonico eel NOO-meh-roh teh-leh-FOH-nee-koh
dialing tone	il segnale acustico eel sehn-YAH-lay ah-KOO-stee-koh