Most Italian towns and main city train stations and airports have a tourist office, usually known as an APT ( Azienda per Il Turismo ) or just ufficio turistico, and signposted by the standard "i" symbol. Note that not all places with the symbol are impartial information offices, however, and that not all information offices are called APTs; there are any number of acronyms, including EPT ( Ente Provinciale per il Turismo ); IAT ( Ufficio di Informazione e Accoglienza Turistica ); and AAST ( Azienda Autónoma di Soggiorno e Turismo , a smaller local outfit). When there isn't one of any of these, there will sometimes be a Pro Loco office, usually run by businesses in smaller villages, which will have much the same kind of information but generally keep much shorter hours. All of these vary in degrees of usefulness, and apart from the main cities and tourist areas the staff aren't likely to speak English. But you should always be able at least to get a free town plan, a list of accommodation and a local listings booklet in Italian, and some will reserve you a room and sell places on guided tours.

Opening hours vary, but larger city and resort offices are likely to be open Monday to Saturday 9am to 1pm and 4 to 7pm, and sometimes for a short period on Sunday mornings; smaller offices may open weekdays only, while Pro Loco times are notoriously erratic - some open for only a couple of hours a day, even in summer. If the tourist office isn't open and all else fails, the local telephone office, most hotels, and bars with phones should all have a copy of the local Tuttocittà (a supplement to the main telephone directories), which carries listings and phone numbers of essential services, adverts for restaurants and shops, together with indexed maps of the appropriate city.

Note: ENIT is on the Web at www.enit.it

Australia : contact the consulate, Level 45, 1 Macquarie Place, Sydney 2000, NSW (phone 02/9392 7900).

Canada : 1 Place Ville Marie, Suite 1914, Montréal, Québec H3B 2C3 (phone 514/866-7667); 175 Bloor St East, Suite 907, South Tower, Toronto, ON M4W 3R8 (phone 416/925-4882); www.italiantourism.com .

Ireland : 47 Merrion Square, Dublin 2 (phone 01/766 397).

New Zealand : apply to the embassy, 34 Grant Rd, Thorndon, Wellington (phone 04/473 5339).

UK : 1 Princes St, London W1R 8AY (phone 020/7408 1254). USA : 630 5th Ave, Suite 1565, New York, NY 10111 (phone 212/245-5618; brochure requests phone 212/245-4822); 500 North Michigan Ave, Suite 2240, Chicago, IL 60611 (phone 312/644-0996; brochure requests phone 312/644-0990); 12400 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 550, Los Angeles, CA 90025 (phone 310/820-1898; brochure requests phone 310/820-0098).

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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