Information and maps
Before you leave, it may be worth calling the Italian State Tourist Office (ENIT, www.enit.it ) for a selection of maps and brochures, though you'll have to be persistent to get through on the phone and bear in mind that nearly all of the same bumph can easily be picked up in Italy.

Useful internet addresses
Italian Web sites have proliferated in recent years and provide a wealth of information; we've listed a few of the more useful ones here. For the Internet addresses of the major travel and accommodation organizations, see the relevant sections.

Football   www.football.it League tables, news and links.

In Italy   www.initaly.com Travel tips, campsites, services and etiquette.

Italian Ministry for Arts and the Environment   www.beniculturali.it Museums, temporary exhibitions, performances and so on - in Italian language only.

Italian State Railways (FS) www.fs-on-line.com Timetable information in Italian and English.

Italian Yellow Pages   www.paginegialle.it Online phone book.

Italian National Parks   www.parks.it Contacts and wildlife information.

Italytour 68   www.italytour.com Shopping, fashion, trains and hotels.

Museums   www.museionline.it Links to museums and exhibition sites, dates, events.

Opera   www.operabase.com Listings and contact details for the country's major venues.

Venere   www.venere.it Probably the best site for accessing the Web pages of those hotels that have them - and booking rooms online.

Weather   www.meteo.it Forecasts - in Italian, but with self-explanatory symbols.

Maps
The town plans we've printed should be fine for most purposes, and practically all tourist offices give out maps of their local area for free. However, if you want an indexed town plan, Studio FMB cover most towns and cities, and Falk and Touring Club Italiano (TCI) also do decent plans of the major cities. The clearest and best-value large-scale commercial road map of Italy is the Michelin 1:1,000,000 one; Michelin also produce 1:400,000 maps covering the whole of Italy, including Sicily and Sardinia, which are equally good value. There are also the 1:800,000 and 1:400,000 maps produced by the Touring Club Italiano, covering north, south and central Italy, although these are a little more expensive; TCI also produce excellent 1:200,000 maps of the individual regions, which are indispensable if you are touring a specific area in depth. Alternatively, the Automobile Club d'Italia issues a good, free 1:275,000 road map, available from State Tourist Offices. Local tourist offices also often have road maps of varying quality to give away.

For hiking you'll need at least a scale of 1:50,000. Studio FMB and the TCI cover the major mountain areas of northern Italy to this scale, but for more detailed, down-to-scale 1:25,000 maps, the Istituto Geografico Centrale series covers central and northwest Italy and the Alps; Kompass also publish these areas to the same scale. The Apennines and Tuscany are covered by Multigraphic (Firenze), easiest bought in Italy, while Tabacco produce a good series detailing the Dolomites and the northeast of the country. In Italy, the Club Alpino Italiano is a good source of hiking maps; we've supplied details of branches throughout the Guide.

Italy guide

Getting there
When to go
Where to go
Italy general info
Italy
Average costs
Credit and debit cards
Cost, money, banks
The euro
Insurance, health cover
Embassies, consulates
Red tapes, visas
Banks and exchange
Travelers with disabilities
North-South divide

Getting around
Ø Trains
Ø Flights
Ø Driving
Ø Cycling, motorbiking
Ø Ferries, hydrofoils
Ø Hitchhiking
 

Festivals:
Ø Religious, traditional
Ø Diary festivals
Ø Food festivals
Ø Arts Festivals
Ø Ferragosto

Italy food and drink
Ø Italian cuisine
Ø Italian pizza
Ø Lunch and dinner
Ø Drinking

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