Climate
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Italy’s climate varies from north to south and from lowland to mountain top. Temperatures at sea-level tend to be similar around the country, with altitudes creating steep changes between summer and winter. Winters are long and severe in the Alps, with snow falling as early as mid-September. Storms develop in spring and tend to last to autumn, making summer the wettest season. The northern regions experience chilly winters, hot summers and regular even rain distribution, while conditions become milder as you head south. The sirocco, the hot and humid African wind that affects regions south of Rome, produces at least a couple of stiflingly hot weeks in summer.
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Culture
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Kind of Government: democratic parliamentary republic
Italy has an incredibly rich cultural history spanning many centuries. Birthplace of many of the world greatest artists, it is home to many of its finest art treasures.
The most of population is catholic. The influence of the Catholic Church is very strong in the social, political, economic and cultural life of the country. There are also important Jewish, orthodox protestants, Waldesian and Muslims communities.
Italians have a reputation for effortless style and glamour – Milan remain some of the foremost fashion capitals.
Food and drinks – Italy is known for cheeses (mozzarella and gorgonzola) pasta dishes and, of course, pizza. Italy has been producing fine wines like Chianti and Montepulciano for many years.
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Travel agency
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Agencies and offices of promotion and tourist information Through the site of the Ente nazionale italiano per il turismo (http://www.enit.it/otp.asp) it is possible to find and to contact several public tourist offices scattered in all the peninsula. Moreover you can consult a complete list of the information and tourist welcome offices (I.A.T.) and of the Italian offices of the tourism.
The Youth Centres. The Youth Centres, scattered on all the national territory, are information services for young people, promoted by public agencies (towncouncils, Provinces, and so on). They offer various information regarding the youth world (from the tourism to the education, to free time, to local cultural initiatives, and so on) even if, in many cases, they mainly deal with supplying guidance and aid in order to look for a job.
Besides youth centres, there are also many agencies and private associations that deal with the young people's orientation.It is possible to find the addresses at the page: http://www.comune.torino.it/infogio/cig/icr.htm
CTS - Student and youth Tourist Centre Italian Association for the youth and student tourism, has centres in all the Italian regions with 80 points in the main cities and other centres abroad (London, Paris, Athens and Malta). It offers to young people the opportunity to travel with favourable rates; it supplies useful information on the selected destinations. It organizes work experiences, ecological and sports holidays, school trip, didactic weeks and linguistic stays. Registration, price reductions and facilitations: in order to take advantage of the services offered by CTS it is necessary join the association buying a ticket (see chapter international cards). All the information on price reductions and facilitation fare on the guide distributed during the registration.
• CTS - Headquarters Rome
via Andrea Vedalio, 6 - 00161 Roma - tel. +3906/441111 (switchboard) fax: +3906/44111400 http://www.cts.it/ - E-mail: presidenza@cts.it
CTG - Tourist youth Centre No profit National Association aimed to the cultural promotion, participation and civil and social solidarity. It is interested in free time and social tourism, voluntary service and environment as educational instruments for people's human and cultural growth. It has centres in all Italy. Hospitality Formalities: An associative ticket is required and the cost varies according to the associate's age.
• CTG - Headquarters Rome via della Pigna, 13/a - 00186 Roma - tel. +3906/6795077 fax: +3906/6795078 http://www.ctg.it/ - E-mail: ctg@ctg.it
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Accomodation
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Where to sleep in Italy? You can vast and diverse range of solutions which includes the cheapest and the most luxurius, the most simple and the most sophisticated: apartments or student’s room.
For detailed information ask to the CTS (www.cts.it) or to the Youth Centre (www.comune.torino.it/infogio).
Hospitality - The main organization of exchanges in Italy is servas, an international noprofit organization of voluntary service, open to everybody. It has a social aim: to make people coming from various countries meet and know each other, to host those travellers who wish to have human and social contacts. Therefore it is not indispensable to exchange again the hospitality, you can simply host or be hosted. Here the address of Servas: www.servas.it
Intercultura – It offers to foreign students who whish to know our country the possibility to be hosted by Italian families. It proposes various forms of ospitality: for a school period, from September to June, for six or two months or in July. www.intercultura.it
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Public traffic
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If you would like to go from north to south of Italy we advice you to choose the Italian airlines: Alitalia or Air One, private company.
Alitalia is the flag company and connects the main Italian and foreign cities through approximately thirty airports located on all the national territory. www.alitalia.it
Travelling by train – The Italian F.S. railway net (State Railways) covers most of the territory representing an enough comfortable and economic means of transport even if not always so punctual. www.trenitalia.it
In each big cities there is a efficient public transport. The ticket’s costs vary from cities to cities ( about 0.90 €) and you can buy it in bar, tobacco shop and newsagent:
ATM - Milan - www.atm-mi.it
ATAC Spa – Rome – www.atac.roma.it
GTT – Turin – www.gtt.to.it
ATAF – Florence – www.ataf.net
ATC – Bologna – www.atc.bo.it
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Insurance
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The citizens of the European Union must ask for the E111 model in their native land for being able to avail of the services of the national sanitary system. Non communitarian citizens should get informed on eventual conventions stipulated within sanitary matters between Italy and their country of origin or draw up an assurance that covers medical expenses, from the moment that, in case of need, must pay the sanitary services at the rates of the Italian state.
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Important phone numbers
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The police, fire department, tourist information? Calling abroad? Taxi company?
Telephone numbers of emergency
• 112 Police officers - First intervention
• 113 State Police - Public Service of Emergency
• 115 National Fire Department - First intervention
• 116 ACI - Street Aid
• 117 Financial police
• 118 Sanitary Emergency
• 1515 State Forestry Corps
• 1530 Coastgard
Taxi Blu Milan – 02/4040
Taxi Rome - 06/5551
Taxi service – Milan, Rome, Turin – www.assotaxi.it
Taxi Bologna - 051/372727
Telephone calls in Italy
In order to telephone within a city, its surroundings or in an other city, it is necessary to dial the wished number preceded by the prefix. The international code for Italy is 39; in order to telephone in Italy you have to dial 00 39, followed by the prefix of the region (including 0) and by the number of the subscriber. For example: 0039 011 442...
Telephone Prefixes of the Italian cities: http://pb.virgilio.it/ Telephone guide on line: inserting the locality it is possible to know also the province and the zip code.
International calls
In order to telephone from Italy towards a foreign country, dial 00, followed by the code of the country (for example, for Switzerland: 41), by the prefix of the region (without 0) and by the number of the subscriber.
For having information on international telephone services, on the way of making telephone calls, on the list of the foreign subscribers (of the European Countries and the Mediterranean area) dial the number 176.
The service is active every day for 24 hours and gives rise to 6 units charge.
For international calls through operator, it is necessary to dial the number 170.
For direct international calls:
Useful references (prefix)
Country Calling Code: http://www.countrycallingcodes.com/
In the site are available telephone prefixes of countries all over the world and specifically of each city. It is also marked the local time.
Calling Code: http://www.comune.torino.it/infogio/itatasca/ita/telefono.htm
Search engine that helps to find the prefix by selecting the city or to find the city pointing out the prefix.
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Language courses:
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If you are going to do a placement in the Italy, you might want to take Italian language courses. Even if you will do some of your work in English or another language, most of your colleages will probably be Italian and speak Italian to each other. Moreover, you will not only work in Holland, you will also live there. At work people will probably understand you, but once you step outside the office Italian is a must.
You can decide to do a full time language-course before starting your internship. You can also have 1 or 2 courses per week in the evenings during your internship. For both options we advise you to ask your employer what he can do for you. All big cities in Italy have many language schools at all levels. You can also contact the nearest University. Usually Universities have Italian courses for their exchange students.
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For more information about Italian language schools in Italy you can look at the following websites:
http://www.tricolore.nl/
http://www.scuolaleonardo.com/
http://www.wle-italy.com/
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