ROME TOURIST INFORMATION:ROME TRAVEL ADVICE
I think that going across my website, my potential customers and readers need to know more about some important and permanent services of the Eternal City, like for example the opening hours of some pharmacies etc.
Rome is a city that breathes every day and is at disposal of everybody with its services and emergencies 24 hours a day, holidays included, but you need to know where to go or what to do in case something strange eventually happens.
AMERICAN EMBASSY IN ROME
There are two official U.S. embassies in Rome: one appointed to the Italian government and the another which represents the U.S. to the Holy See. Americans in need of services must go to the U.S. Consulate, 121 Via Veneto, located near the spanish steps. The Consulate can provide the following services: Register your address and presence here, issue new passports, register your child's birth and give advice about dual citizenship, witness and notarize documents, provide Veteran's and Social Security benefits, process income tax, assist with voting needs and selective service registration, help with legal formalities in case of death inform your family if you are in difficulty, and provide a list of doctors and lawyers. The Consulate cannot give you money, settle your disputes or get you out of jail. They can only ensure that you are being treated according to the laws of the host country. Tel. 06.46741
ANTIQUITIES IN ROME
Some antiques, regardless of private ownership or foreign origin, are considered part of the patrimony of Italy and may not be exported. So before you buy that Etruscan vase find out whether you can take it with you or whether you will have to return to Rome yearly to visit it!
AMERICAN EXPRESS OFFICE IN ROME
The offices of American Express are at Piazza di Spagna 38 (tel. 06/67641). The travel service and tour desk are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5:30pm and on Saturday from 9am to 12:30pm (May to October the tour desk is also open on Saturday afternoon from 2 to 2:30pm). The financial and mail services are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.
BUSINESS HOURS: ROME'S STORES
In general, banks are open Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 1:30pm and again from 3 to 4pm. A U.S. bank in Rome is Citibank, Via Abruzzi 2 (tel. 06/478171). Shopping hours are governed by the "riposo" (siesta).
Most stores are open year-round Monday to Saturday from 9am to 1pm and then from 3:30 or 4pm to 7:30 or 8pm. Most shops are closed Sunday.
CHURCHES: (ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ENTER THE VATICAN)
Dress accordingly (which means no shorts, sleeveless tops, etc. ) and conduct yourself as if at a church service .Please remember that churches are primarily places of worship regardless of their frame as a tourist attraction.
DENTISTS
To find a dentist who speaks English, call the U.S. Embassy in Rome (tel. 06/6741). You may have to call around in order to get an appointment. There's also the 24-hour G. Eastman Dental Hospital, Viale Regina Elena 287 (tel. 06/44831).
DOCTORS
Call the U.S. Embassy (see "dentist" above), which will provide a list of doctors who speaks English. All big hospitals in Rome have a 24-hour first-aid service (go to the emergency room). You will find English-speaking doctors at the privately ru Salvator Mundi International Hospital, Viale delle mura Gianicolensi 67 (tel. 06/88961). For medical assistance, the International Medical Center is on 24-hour duty at Via Giovanni Amendola 7 (tel. 06/4882371). You could also contact the Rome American Hospital, Via Emilio Longoni 69 (tel. 06/22551), with English-Speaking doctors on duty 24 hours a day. A more personalized medical service is provided by Medi-call, studio medico, Via Salaria 300, Palazzina C, interno 5 (tel. 06/8840113).
Staffed by a small core of administration who are available 24 hours a day, it can arrange for qualified doctors to make house calls to your hotel (or wherever) anywhere in Rome. In most cases, the doctor will be a general practitioner who's well versed in either prescribing an appropriate medication or, if the problem is most serious, referring a patient to a qualified specialist.
Fees begin at around $100 per visit, but can go higher if a specialist or specialized treatments are necessary. Frankly, paying this organization's fee and waiting for a doctor to arrive at your hotel room is usually a lot more convenient than waiting in the emergency room of any hospital.
DRUGSTORES
A reliable pharmacy is the Farmacia Internazionale, Piazza Barberini 49 (tel.06/6794680), open day and night. Most pharmacies are open from 8:30am to 1pm and then from 4 to 7:30pm. In general, pharmacies follow a rotation system so that several are always open on Sunday (the rotation schedule is posted outside each).
ELECTRICITY
It's generally 220 volts, 50 Hz AC, but you might find 125 volt outlets, with different plugs and sockets for each. Pick up a transformer either before leaving home or in any appliance shop in Rome if you plan to use electrical appliances. Check the exact local current at your hotel. You'll also need ad adapter plug.
Canada: it's at Via Zara 30 tel. 06/445981, fax 06/44598754 open Monday to Friday from 10am to 12:30pm
United Kingdom: consular offices are at Via XX Settembre 80A tel. 06/4825441, fax 06/4873324 open Monday to Friday from 9:15am to 1:30pm.
Australia: the embassy is at Via Alessandria 215 tel. 06/852721 fax 06/85272300, open Monday to Thursday from 8:30am to noon and 2 to 4pm, and on Friday from 8:30am to 1:15pm. The Australian Consulate is around the corner in the same building at Corso Trieste 25 tel 06/852721.
New Zealand: the consular office is at Via Zara 28 tel. 06/4417171, fax 06/4402984, and it's open Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 12:45pm and 1:45 to 5pm.
Ireland: The embassy is at Piazza di Campitelli 3 tel. 06/697912 fax 06/6792354. For consular queries, dial tel. 06/696791211. Open Monday to Friday from 9:30am to 12:30pm and 2 to 4pm.
South Africa the Embassy is at Via Tanaro 14 tel. 06/852541, fax 06 85254300, open Monday to Friday from 9:30 to 4pm.
In case of emergency embassies have a 24-hour referral service.
MAIL
Mailboxes in Italy are red and are attached to walls. The left slot is only for letters intended for the city; the right slot for all others destinations.
The main Post Office if Rome is at Piazza San Silvestro 19 tel. 06/6771, between Via del Corso and Piazza di Spagna. It's open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm and on Saturday from 9am to 2pm. To claim mail addresses to you in care of this central office, with "fermo posta" written after the name and address of the post office, simply present your passport as identification. Stamps "francobolli" can be purchased at "tabacchi" (tobacconist).
Vatican City mailboxes are blue, and you can buy Vatican stamps at the Vatican City Post Office, adjacent to the information office in St. Peter's Square. It's open Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 6pm and on Saturday from 8:30am to 6pm. Letters mailed at Vatican City reach North America far more quickly than does mail sent from within Rome for the same cost. With both the Vatican and the Italian mail, letters and postcards to the U.S. cost about 1,300L (80cent)
NEWSPAPERS
English language papers are sold at the large newsstands (edicole). The International Herald Tribune and U.S.A. Today are published daily except Sunday. Wanted in Rome comes out twice monthly is widely available and has mainly classified advertising and some articles.
PETS
Italian law requires that your animal have a current rabies certificate, a statement from your veterinarian that no rabies have existed in your area in the last 6 months and a certificate from the U.S. Department of Agriculture verifying all the above as true. Even if you are not asked for these documents upon arrival, keep them on hand for future reference. Check with Italian authorities on the tax one must pay as a dog owner.
RADIO/TV
Major radio and television broadcast are on RAI, the Italian state radio and TV network. Occasionally during the tourist season it will broadcast special programs in English; look in the radio and TV guide sections of local newspapers. Vatican Radio also carries foreign-language religious news programs, often in English. Short wave transistor radios pick up broadcasts from the BBC (Britain), Voice of America (United States), and CBC (Canada). More expensive hotels often have TVs in the bedrooms with CNN.
REST ROOMS
All airport and railway stations, of course, have rest rooms, often with attendants who expect to be tipped (10cents to 30cents is fine). Bars, nightclubs, restaurants, cafes, and all hotels have facilities as well. Public toilets are also found near many of the major sights, in particular, there are facilities at the Spanish Steps that you may want to know about. Usually they are designated as wc (water closet), "donne" (women), or "uomini" (men). The most confusing designation is "signori" (gentlemen) and "signore" (ladies), so watch those final i's and e's!
TELEPHONES
Public phones are located throughout the city and accept change or the "phone" card (carta telefonica) sold in tobacco stores. It is wise to have a "phone" card because money taking machines are becoming harder and harder to find and many public machines will accept only the card. These cards are inserted in a special slot on the phone, and allow the users to make calls for the amount shown on the card.
Thanks to ITALCABLE, International calls to the United States and Canada can be dialled directly. Dial 00 (the international access code from Italy) then the country code (1 for the U.S.A. and Canada), the area code, and the number. Calls dialled directly are billed on the basis of the call's duration only. A reduced rate is applied from 11pm to 8am Monday do Saturday and all day Sunday.
If you wish to make a collect call from a pay phone simply deposit 200L (don't worry-you'll get it back when you're done) and dial tel. 170 for an English-speaking Italcable operator. For calling-cards calls, drop in the refundable 200L, then dial the number for your card's company to be connected with an operator in the States: tel. 1721011 for ATT, tel. 1721020 for MCI, and tel 06/1721877 for Sprint. You can also call tel. 06/1721001 for Canada, tel. 06/1721061 for Australia, and tel. 06/1720044 for the United Kingdom.
If you make a long distance call from a public telephone, there is no surcharge. However hotels have been known to double or triple the cost of the call so be duly warned.
TIPPING IN ROME
In restaurants a service charge of about 15% usually appears as a separate item on your check. A few restaurant state on the menu that cover and service charge are included. Either way, it's customary to leave an additional 5%-10% tip for the waiter, depending on the service.
Taxi and limos drivers are usually very happy with 15% of the trip fare. Railway and airport porters charge are fixed rate per bag and the type of establishment.
Service station attendants are tipped only for special services.
In hotel, give the portiere (concierge) about 15% of his bill for services.
Phone: (+39) 333/7413375
