Just Landed in Italy? Your First 7 Days

Mobile coverage is excellent nationwide and 5G is widespread across cities and larger towns, with TIM, Vodafone and WindTre running the main networks. Prepaid (ricaricabile) SIMs dominate the market, and you must show a passport and codice fiscale to activate one because anonymous SIMs are illegal under anti-terrorism rules. Coverage can thin out in remote mountain and rural areas, but for everyday city life it is fast and reliable.

Typical cost: A prepaid SIM with 100-200GB of data runs roughly EUR 7-15 per month, with Iliad and budget sub-brands (Kena, ho. Mobile, Very Mobile) at the cheaper end. Home fibre broadband (fibra) is around EUR 25-35 per month via TIM, Fastweb, Vodafone or WindTre, though installation can take a couple of weeks to schedule.

Italy is firmly in the Eurozone, and since merchants are legally required to accept card payments, contactless cards and phones now work almost everywhere, including small shops, taxis and market stalls. That said, cash still rules for tips, open-air markets, some tabaccherie and older neighbourhood trattorias, so carrying a little is wise. Rounding small purchases to the nearest euro is common and no one blinks at it.

Opening an account: Traditional banks such as Intesa Sanpaolo, UniCredit and BPER require a codice fiscale and usually proof of residency, and their monthly account fees can surprise newcomers used to free banking. Many arrivals therefore open a digital account first with Revolut, N26, Wise or the postal BancoPosta, all of which accept non-resident status and open in minutes from your phone. You can then switch to or add a traditional bank once you have residenza and perhaps a salary landing.

Cash: Carry EUR 20-50 in small notes and coins for daily life. Markets, some bars, tips and certain small shops are cash-preferred, ATMs may be scarce in old town centres, and having exact-ish change smooths transactions where staff dislike breaking a fifty for a EUR 1.20 espresso.

Tipping: Tipping is modest and genuinely optional. Restaurants often add a per-person 'coperto' (cover charge) and sometimes 'servizio', so check the bill; beyond that, leaving a euro or two or rounding up is plenty. There is no expectation of the 15-20% American norm, and no one will chase you for a tip.

Registering your address at the anagrafe of your local comune to obtain 'residenza' is a genuine legal requirement for anyone settling in Italy, not an optional formality. Residenza unlocks enrolment in the national health service, a residency certificate (certificato di residenza), the electronic identity card (carta d'identita elettronica) and access to many services and benefits, and it is verified by a police check that you actually live at the declared address. EU citizens staying beyond three months must register, and non-EU arrivals must separately hold a valid permesso di soggiorno before they can register residency. Bring your ID, codice fiscale, a registered rental contract or proof of address, and originals plus photocopies of everything.

Deadline: Non-EU arrivals must post the permesso di soggiorno kit within eight working days of entry, then attend fingerprinting at the questura. Comune residency should be registered once you hold a stable, registered address and (for non-EU) a valid permit; the anagrafe then has 45 days to confirm it. EU citizens staying longer than three months are required to register within that period.

Where: The anagrafe office of your local comune for residency; the local questura (immigration desk) or a post office 'Sportello Amico' for submitting and processing the permesso di soggiorno.

Italian cities have dense networks of buses, trams and, in Rome, Milan, Naples and Turin, metro lines, while Trenitalia and the private Italo run frequent high-speed trains linking major cities in a couple of hours. Within cities a single ticket (biglietto) typically costs EUR 1.50-2.20 and is valid for a set time with transfers; monthly passes are far cheaper for commuters. Always validate paper tickets before or on boarding, as ticketless fines are steep and inspectors do check.

From the airport: From Rome Fiumicino, the Leonardo Express train reaches Termini in about 32 minutes for EUR 14, with cheaper regional trains and Terravision/SIT buses also running; the fixed official taxi fare to the historic centre is EUR 55. From Milan Malpensa, the Malpensa Express train reaches Cadorna or Centrale in around 45-55 minutes for roughly EUR 13, and a taxi to the centre is a fixed EUR 104. Always use the official white taxi rank or book via FreeNow.

Most newcomers rent through estate agencies (agenzie immobiliari) or portals such as Idealista and Immobiliare.it, with Facebook groups and Subito.it useful for rooms and short-term lets. Insist on a registered contract ('contratto registrato'), because you need it to obtain residenza, to prove your address, and to protect your legal rights as a tenant. Viewing in person before paying anything is essential, and reputable agencies will never ask for money before a viewing.

Typical rent: A one-bedroom flat runs roughly EUR 900-1,400 per month in central Milan or Rome, EUR 600-900 in cities like Bologna, Florence or Turin, and EUR 400-650 in smaller towns and much of the south. A room in a shared flat (stanza singola) in a big city is commonly EUR 450-750.

Deposit norm: Deposits (cauzione) are typically one to three months' rent, plus around one month's rent as agency commission if you use an agency. The standard residential contract is the '4+4' (four years, automatically renewable for four more), while transitional and student contracts are shorter; utilities (spese) may be separate or partly included, so confirm before signing.

The Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN) provides universal, low-cost public healthcare, and it is generally good quality, if sometimes slow for non-urgent specialist appointments. Once you have residenza, you register with the SSN and are assigned a 'medico di base' (family doctor), who is your gateway to prescriptions, referrals and specialists. Many people also carry private insurance to skip waiting lists for elective care.

How to access it: Register at your local ASL (Azienda Sanitaria Locale, sometimes ASST or USL depending on region) with your codice fiscale, proof of residency and, for non-EU arrivals, your permit. You receive a tessera sanitaria (health card, which doubles as an EHIC on the back) and choose a family doctor from a list. For emergencies, go to a hospital 'Pronto Soccorso' or call 118 or the unified 112; prescriptions are collected at any farmacia.

Insurance: EU/EEA citizens can use an EHIC/GHIC card for short-term and necessary care. Non-EU arrivals usually need private health insurance to obtain their permit and residency until they qualify for the SSN, and can then either enrol automatically (if working) or pay an annual voluntary SSN contribution, which is income-based and often cheaper than private cover.

• Greet with 'buongiorno' or 'buonasera' when entering shops, bars and offices; a polite greeting before any request is expected and skipping it reads as rude.
• Coffee has its own etiquette: a cappuccino is a morning-only drink, an espresso is standard after meals, and at many bars you pay at the till first, then drink standing.
• Dress reasonably smartly and cover shoulders and knees to enter churches; beachwear and gym clothes stay at the beach and gym.
• Meals are social and unhurried, courses come in order (antipasto, primo, secondo), and the bill is never brought until you ask for 'il conto, per favore'.
• Use the formal 'Lei' with clerks, older people and anyone you have just met, switching to the informal 'tu' only once invited or among peers.
• Make brief eye contact and, among friends, a light cheek kiss (right cheek first); a firm handshake is right in professional settings.
• Punctuality is expected for business and appointments but relaxed for social invitations, where arriving a little late is normal.

• Bureaucracy is slow and paper-heavy; bring originals plus photocopies of everything, arrive early, take a numbered ticket and expect to be sent back for one more document.
• Many shops, offices and pharmacies close for a long midday break (roughly 13:00-16:00), and much of the country shuts for weeks around Ferragosto in August, so plan errands accordingly.
• Speaking even basic Italian is genuinely appreciated and smooths every interaction, especially with older people and outside the main tourist and business areas.
• Personal relationships matter: a friendly rapport with a clerk, landlord or neighbour will often unlock things that a perfectly correct form alone will not.
• Written quotes, deadlines and 'it will be ready tomorrow' can be optimistic; follow up politely and in person rather than assuming things are moving.