City Ville Guide

1 - Political Status
The Italian Republic is a pluralistic democracy with a parliamentary regime.
The President is Mr Carlo Azeglio Ciampi who represents the country.
He was elected for a seven year term of office on 13th May 1999.
The executive power is held by the Prime Minister who is responsible towards Parliament.
The present Prime Minister is Mr Giuliano Amato who was elected on 26th April 2000.

Parliament is made up of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

There are 630 deputies who are elected by general election every five years. There are 315 senators who are also elected for a five year term of office.

Political parties :

There are several political parties in Italy. The main ones are :

- Christian Democrats,
- Communists,
- Socialists,
- MSI-DN (neo fascists),
- Social Democrats,
- Radicals,
- Republicans,
- Proletarian Democrats,
- Liberals.

There have been 56 different governments in Italy since the Second World War.

Historical outline :

3/01/1926 : Fascist regime set up by Mussolini.
1978 : Kidnapping and assassination of Aldo Moro.
24th June 1985 : M. Cossiga elected President.
13th August 1988 : Italy renounces nuclear power.
13/10/1988 : Abolition of secret ballot in Parliament.
25th April 1992 : M. Cossiga resigns.
23th May 1992 : Assassination of the anti-Mafia judge Giovanni Falcone.
25th May 1992 : M. Scalfaro elected as President.
15th January 1993 : Toto Rina, head of the Mafia, is arrested in Palerma.
20th July 1993 : Suicide of M. Cagliari, the Chairman of the ENI
28th April 1994 : M. Berlusconi is elected Prime Minister.
22nd December 1994 : M. Berlusconi resigns.
13th January 1995 : M. Dini is elected Prime Minister.
4th August 1995 :The national pension scheme is finalized.
September 1995 : Court case in Palerma of the ex-Prime Minister M. Andreotti.
21st April 1996 : The left wing wins the elections, M. Romano Prodi is elected Prime Minister
13th May 1999 : M Carlo Azeglio Ciampi is elected President
26th April 2000 : Mr Giuliano Amato is elected Prime Minister

National Defence, the Army :

The Italian Armed Forces are made up as follows :

Army : 218,000 men, 3 army corps of 4 tank or mechanical divisions, and 12 brigades (of which 5 are Alpine brigades).

Aviation : 70,000 men, 336 combat aircraft, 8 groups of ground-air missiles.

Marines : 42,000 men, 9 submarines, 3 missile launching cruisers, 8 destroyers, 23 escorters, 45 minesweepers. Apart from a few elite batallions, the armed forces are out of date.

Administrative Subdivisions

Regions and Provinces and their surface area in sq. kms.

Piemonte 25 399 Turin 6 830 Alexandria 3 560 Asti 1 511 Cuneo 6 903 Novara 3 594 Vercelli 3 001 Val d'Aoste 3 262 Liguria 5 413 Genova 1 831 Imperia 1 155 La Spezia 882 Savona 1 545 Lombardy 23 850 Milan 2 762 Bergamo 2 759 Brescia 4 777 Como 2 067 Cremona 1 770 Mantoua 2 339 Pavia 2 965 Sondrio 3 212 Varese 1 199 Trentin-Haut-Adige 13 613 Trente 6 213 Bolzano 7 400 Venecia 18 368 Venice 2 460 Belluno 3 678 Padova 2 142 Rovigo 1 793 Treviso 2 477 Verona 3 096 Vicenza 2 722

Frioul-Venetia-Julia 7 845 Trieste 212 Gorizia 466 Udine 4 894 Pordenone 2 273 Emilia-Romagna 22 123 Bologna 3 702 Ferrara 2 632 Forli 2 910 Modena 2 690 Parma 3 449 Plaisance 2 590 Ravenna 1 859 Reggio d'Emilia 2 291 Marches 9 696 Ancona 1 940 Ascoli Piceno 2 087 Macerata 2 774 Pesaro and Urbino 2 893 Toscany 22 992 Florence 3 880 Arezzo 3 232 Grosseto 4 505 Livourno 1 213 Lucques 1 773 Massa Carrara 1 156 Pisa 2 448 Pistoia 965 Sienna 3 821 Ombria 8 456 Perousa 6 334 Terni 2 122 Ragusa 1 614 Syracuse 2 109 Trapani 2 462 Sardinia 24 090 Cagliari 6 896

Campania 13 595 Naples 1 171 Avellin 2 801 Benevento 2 061 Caserta 2 639 Salerno 4 923 Abruzzes 10 794 L'Aquila 5 034 Chieti 2 587 Pescara 1 225 Teramo 1 948 Molise 4 438 Campobasso 2 909 Isernia 1 529 Pouilles 19 347 Bari 5 129 Brindisi 1 838 Foggia 7 184 Lecce 2 759 Tarento 2 437 Basilicate 9 992 Potenza 6 545 Matera 3 447 Calabra 15 080 Catanzaro 5 247 Cosenza 3 183 Reggio de Calabra 6 650 Sicily 25 708 Palerma 5 016 Agrigenta 3 042 Caltanissetta 2 104 Catania 3 552 Enna 2 562 Messina 3 247 Nuoro 7 044 Oristano 2 630 Sassari 7 520

ITALY = 301,262 square kilometers
2 - Geographical situation
Italy is situated in the south of Europe. It has shared borders with Austria, Switzerland, ex-Yugoslavia and France.

Italian sovereignty also extends to 3,766 islands, amongst which are Sicily and Sardinia. The total surface area of Italy is 301,262 square kilometers.
San Marino and the Vatican, which are within the territory are not however part of the Italian Republic.

The country is surrounded by the Adriatic on the east, the Tyrrhenian Sea on the west and the Ionian Sea and the Mediterranean on the south. It has a coastline of nearly 8,500 kms. Different parts of the Mediterranean have different names : the Gulf of Genova near the town of the same name, the Tyrrhenian Sea on the west between the mainland and Sardinia, the Gulf of Venice on the north-east, the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea to the east and the south-east.

Geographical Relief :

The Italian Alps and the Apennino Alps join up in Liguria.

The Grand Paradis (4061m) and the Mont Blanc (4807m) are in the Alps. In the eastern Alps on the Austrian-Italian border there is the Palla Bianca (3736m), the Dolomites, the Breta and the Marmolada mountains.

The main Alpine cols are the : Tende, Genèvre, Cenis, Petit St Bernard (France) ; Grand St Bernard, Simplon, Gothard (Switzerland) ; Brenner, Dobbiac and Tarvise (Austria) ; Vrata (Yugoslavia).

The Apennino chain follows the Liguian coastline down to the Messina detroit.

Central and southern Italy has a volcanic relief (Latium, Campania with the Vesuvius) and in the Pouilles and the Murges.

A quarter of Italian territory is covered in plains. 70% of them are in the Po valley. The other 30% is made up of the lower Arno valley in the west, the Maramma plains in Toscany and the Latium and the Campania plains near Naples.

3 - Economy
Since 1988, Italy has made some major changes :

- the national pension scheme has been organized
- many of the major companies have been privatized
- labour costs have lowered
- external trade has increased
- secret ballot has been abolished in Parliament

The economy is growing slowly, but is becoming more transparent and more competitive.

The policies of Romano Prodi, whose main objectives were the cleaning up of public finances, combatting corruption and delinquancy and meeting the deadlines for joining the European monetary union, have had a very positive influence on the financial markets.

But to remain within the Euro union it will be necessary to reduce the public debt, the weight of which is a real challenge for the future, for the moment it is over 120% of the GDP, far above the 60% advocated by the Maastricht Treaty. The government hopes to bring the debt down to under 100% in 2003 and to 60% in 2006 with a balanced budget from 2003.

The south of Italy is one of the poorest regions in Europe, with an unemployment rate of nearly 25% and an economic growth which is much weaker than that of the north. The problems are largely due to a lack of infrastructure, to the power of the Mafia and to inadequate professional training.

Economically Italy is 6th in the world rating of global GDP. There is an important phenomenon, which must be taken into account : the Italian underground economy which could represent as much as 30% of the GDP and which provides an income for 5 and a half million people. According to some estimations 30% of Italian income is not declared, as much as 50% in the south of the country.

The economic context is improving progressively. Exports are on the rise with an increase in demand from Asia and Europe. As for internal demand, both household consumption and company investment are only improving moderately in spite of the low interest rates and a fairly unrestricted budgetary policy.

Production costs are weighed down by an unfinished modernization of the financial sector, the transport network and the distribution network.

The main economic indicators :

(in percentage)	1997	1998	1999	2000
economic growth	1.5	1.3	1.0	2.4
consumption (variation)	2.5	1.8	1.4	2.0
investment (variation)	0.9 .	3.5	2.9	4.0
inflation	2.6	2.3	1.8	1.8
unemployment rate	11.8	11.9	11.6	11.2
short term interest rate	6.9	5.0	2.9	3.3
public balance/GDP	-2.8	-2.7	-2.3	-1.6
public debt/GDP	120.4	118.2	117.7	115.2
exports (variation)	5.2	1.1	-1.2	5.3
Imports (variation)	10.1	6.0	3.3	4.5
balance of trade (billion of $)	47.1	35.6	16.6	15.8
tourist revenue (billions of $)	29.714	29.809	-	-
foreign investment (billions of $)	3.70	2.635	4.981	-

(source OECD)

Share of the GDP by activity sector :
agriculture : 2.6%
industry : 20.1%
mining : 10.5%
services : 66.9%

 4 - Agriculture
7.5% of the working population are employed in agriculture (13% in the south) for a commercial production of 65716 billion lira.

Agricultural production is low in Italy and only earns 3% of the GNP. One third of the farmlands are on the plains, the rest is on the mountain slopes where the natural conditions are difficult.

The main crops are rice and grapes. Italy is the leading European producer of rice and the second biggest wine producer in the world.
61% of the agricultural production are crops, 26% of the production value is fruit and vegetables, then cereals, forage and dried vegetables which earn 11%, wine production (9%), flowers (7%), olive oil (5%) and industrial crops (3%).

Forests cover 20% of the territory but the exploitation is very small.

Stock breeding is relatively low, mainly cattle (7.15 million head), buffaloes (92,000 head - the second biggest in Europe after Rumania, used for making mozarella), pigs (8.22 million) and sheep (10.77 million).

In spite of Italy's 8,500 kms of coastline the fishing figures are not very good, only 562,000 tons in 1997, which is 10 kilos per capita, compared with 14 kilos per capita in France.

The agricultural balance has an important deficit. Italy has the 4th worst agricultural balance in the world. The agricultural sector employs a fifth of the country's labour force.

The best developed enterprises are the processing industries - foodstuff and furniture. Companies like Unilever Italia (a turnover of 4033 billion lira) or Nestle Italia (a turnover of 3208 billion lira) are very competitive but accentuate the agricultural deficit by importing huge quantities of raw materials, in particular from France.

Agriculture in Italy

(livestock in millions of head, timber in millions of m3, other produce in millions of tons)

Production	1996	1997	1998	1999	Rating
wheat	7.987	6.758	8.338	7.7432	17th
wood	9.121	9.146	9.550	-
maize	9.548	10.005	9.031	9.996	9th
oranges	1.771	1.824	1.921	1.994	7th
barley	1.350	1.180	1.379	1.329	21st
potatoes	2.055	2.020	2.194	2.077	23rd
rice	1.424	1.442	1.394	1.362	28th
wine	5.877	5.056	5.691	5.806	2nd
cattle	7.265	7.163	7.166	7.150
sheep	10.668	10.947	10.890	10.770	25th
pigs	8.061	8.171	8.281	8.225	20th
fishing	0.570	0.562	-	-	27th

Farming is done on land divided up into small parcels, and on big farms. The state is trying to intensify the production by improving swamp lands and continuing works which had been started under the fascist regime. Some of these areas have been developed by irrigation or drainage. The agricultural production concerns wheat (tender in the north and hard in the south) and rice and maize which are cultivated in the Po valley.

Fruit trees (oranges, lemons, peaches and pears), olive trees (in the Pouilles region) and vineyards are the strong points of Italian agriculture. Stock breeding is not very widespread, except in Lombardy (cattle and pigs). The south mainly raises sheep and goats.

 5 - Industry
33% of the labour force is employed in industry, which represents 32% of the GNP. The country's productivity is one of the lowest among developed countries.

Industry is dominated by the mechanical sector and transport material. Textiles and foodstuffs are also major sectors.

The main natural resource mined in Italy is natural gas from the Po valley, and to a lesser extent some minerals are extracted (see below) iron from Elba, lead, zinc, sulphur from Sicily, coal from Sardinia, hydroelectricity from the Alps and petrol from Sicily. But the Italian industrial activity for the main part is manufacturing.

(Mining in thousands of tons, natural gas in billions of m3, silver in tons)

Production ................1998 .................1999

Natural gas...............19.2 ................. 17.5
Petrol .......................5.7 .....................4.6
Lead ......................0.017 .................0.018
silver........................ 4 ...................... 4
zinc ..................... 0.008 ................. 0.008

In spite of the lack of raw material the iron and steel industry is highly developed with a production of 20 to 30 million tons of steel per annum. It is centred around the ports of Genoa, Naples and Tarent where the factories produce cold metal sheets (the Turin Fiat car manufacturers and factories manufacturing agricultural material, ship and ferryboat builders in Genoa and Trieste).

Italian industry picked up speed again after the end of the Second World War thanks to foreign and state aid. At the end of June 2000 the government finally closed down the IRI (Institute for industrial reconstruction), which was created by Mussolini to group together the Italian industrial and banking sectors.

The chemical industry produces plastics, tyres (Pirelli) and fertilizers.

Textiles (synthetics, cotton and wool), foodstuff and classical products (leather, printing, glass) are mainly produced in the north where the companies have their headquarters.

The south is relatively at a disadvantage in this respect and as compensation the State created the Southern Fund to improve industrial development in the south. As a direct result of this, the steel complex in Tarent and the Alfa-Sud factory in Naples have been set up.

Italian industry is characterized by the way it organizes the production of goods by area (shoes, ceramics ...). There are 65 areas which group together 5200 small and medium size companies and over 450,000 workers.

Small and medium size companies create more employment in Italy than big companies, they are extremely active and very present on the international market (they are the leaders in Europe). Conscience of their importance the Italian state is trying to lighten the administrative procedures which hold back their activities.

Ports play a very important role in Italian industry (Naples, Trieste, Genoa and Venice) by ensuring the supply of raw materials.

Finally tourism (Italy is the 4th most visited country in the world with 34.8 million tourists in 1998), and the importation of salaries from Italian expatriates help in counterbalancing the trade deficit.


6 - Other sectors
Services are an important sector in the Italian economy, 59.2% of the working population are employed in the sector and contribute 65% of the GNP.

Italy has developed a niche industry which is based on fashion 'Made in Italy' and includes clothes, shoes, furniture and design. With its diverse labels, Italy takes 30% of the 41 billion euros that the de luxe industries make on the world market.

There are 10 grocery stores in Italy per 5000 inhabitants - double the European average. The main distributors are consumer cooperatives, mini-market chains and some private groups which are often connected with the big capitalist families (Agnelli, Benetton, Berlusconi).
A new trade bill (which came into effect in April 1999) was passed to try and liberalize this sector, but only the opening of small trading outlets are exempted from having a licence. However, the pressure of consumers and the implantation of big foreign groups (French and German) are forcing the Italian distribution to evolve.

Franchising is booming in Italy. In 1998 there were 502 franchisers with 22,000 franchise holders who employ some 50,000 people.

New forms of selling by correspondence are developing. There is the usual form of a catalogue sent by post with orders placed by telephone or via Internet (VPCD) and also buying via the television and electronic shopping. In 1997 VPCD grew in Italy by 9%.

Some service sectors and their revenue :

- Tourism : 29.8 billion dollars
- Loans and insurance : 88.36 billion lira
- Transport and communication : 115.5 billion lira
- Commerces, hotels : 327.6 billion lira
- Real estate rental : 156.3 billion lira

There are too many public transport strikes.
The road network has become obsolete.

7 - Population

There are approx. 57,589,000 inhabitants in Italy. 66.84% of the population is urban.

0 - 14 year olds : 14.82%
15 - 64 year olds : 68.86%
65 years and over : 16.32%
Life expectancy : 78.26 years

Italy is the second most highly populated country in Europe after Germany. It has a surface area of 301,225 sq. kms. and a population density of 196 inhabitants per sq. km (414 inhab/k2 in Campania, 35 in the Val d'Aoste).

The ethnic composition is made up of Italians, Austrians, French and Slovenians. The population is generally decreasing (0.2%). The town with the highest population is Milan where a recent census showed 3.7 million inhabitants.

Birth rate : 9.4 per 1000 (the lowest in Europe with Spain)
Death rate : 9.5 per 1000

In 1996, there were 991,419 legal immigrants and from 350,000 to 524,000 illegal immigrants.

Urban population :

53% of Italians live in towns of more than 20 000 inhabitants
Main towns : Rome (capital: 2,645,322 inhabitants),
Milan (3,700,000),
Naples (1,045,874),
Turin (919,612).
8 - Language
Italian is the official language.
German and French are also spoken.
9 - Religion
In Italy there is freedom of worship, but more than 90% of the population are Roman Catholic.
10 - Weights, measures and voltage
The metric system is in use.
The voltage is 220 volts, but the plugs are different from those used in France.

11 - Money

The official currency is the lira, 1000 L = 2.95 F approx.

1 euro = 1936.27 lira
1FF = 338.77 lira

The Italian currency is part of the European monetary union.

Travellers' cheques in other currencies are very highly taxed, those in Italian liras are changed without a commission being charged, but are not reimbursed if they are lost or stolen.

In Sardinia credit cards are not often accepted and there are very few distributors on the island.

12 - Main towns

Rome is the capital of Italy, 3,200,000 people reside there. It is situated on the Tiber River at an altitude of 51 meters above sea level. It came into being in the 8th century BC, and is the only capital which is built on the ruins of its past (Antique Rome, Christian Rome, Renaissance Rome ...)

Milan, 3,700,000 inhabitants.
Airport : Milan Malpensa. It takes 50 minutes to get to the town centre which is 64 kms away, the trip costs about
15,000 lira by express train and 140,000 lira by taxi.
Milan is the industrial, financial and commercial capital of Italy. Three quarters of the banks in the country and a major part of foreign enterprises are situated in Milan. It is a city which lives up to its reputation as hard working and rather severe, but behind the dark facades of the buildings, the visitor will often be surprised by beautiful gardens or bright sunny courtyards.
The Milan Trade Fair Centre has an international reputation and about 75 professional trade fairs and 550 congresses are held there every year.
If you want to see an opera at the famous Scala Opera House, it is easier to buy a ticket in Paris than in Milan! But it is still necessary to reserve a long time in advance, and the price is often outrageous.

Other big towns :
Naples : 2,500,000 inhabitants. Turin : 2,000,000 inhabitants. Genoa : 1,800,000 inhabitants. Palerma : 1,000,000 inhabitants. Bari : 700,000 inhabitants. Bologna : 600,000 inhabitants. Florence : 500,000 inhabitants.
Venice : 480,000 inhabitants.

(see also the article 'Observations- Tourism')

13 - Climate
The climate is continental in the north of the country and mediterranean in the south. There are however variations and several micro-climates.

In northern Italy the Po Valley is known for its cold and grey winters.
The rest of northern Italy has lots of different kinds of climates : in the Alps you can ski in winter, in the lake district the weather is mild, dry and sunny.
Milan is colder than Paris with a frequent 'maestral' wind. Summers are hot, humid and stormy.
On the east coast the Adriatic Sea makes the climate milder, but in July and August it is extremely hot in Venice and in winter a cold wind blows (the bora).

Central Italy around Florence is mild, except in the Apennine mountains where the winters are cold and windy. From May to the end of September the climate is hot and dry. In this season the provinces of Tuscany, Ombia and the Marches are more pleasant. From October the sky is overcast and it rains more often.

In the south, from Rome down, summers are very hot, particularly in Sicily. There is not much rain. Sardinia and Sicily suffer from a hot wind called the sirocco, which blows from Africa. Winter temperatures are moderate, but it can snow in the hills around Palerma. Spring is mild and temperate.

Temperature averages (max/min) :

.....................................J........ F .......M ......A ........M ..........J ..........J ..........A .........S ..........O .........N .......D

Cagliaria (Sardinia) 14/7 .. 15/7 .. 17/9 .. 19/11.. 23/14 .. 27/18 .. 30/21 .. 30/21 .. 27/19 .. 23/15 .. 19/11 .. 17/9

Milan ........................4/0 .....8/2 ....13/6 ...18/10 .. 23/14 .. 27/17 .. 29/20 .. 28/19 ... 24/16 .. 17/11 .. 10/6 .... 6/2

Palerma (Sicile) .......16/8 .. 16/8 ... 17/9 .. 20/11 .. 24/14 .. 27/18 .. 30/20 .. 30/21 ... 28/19 .. 25/16 .. 21/12 ..18/10

Rome .......................11/5 .. 13/5 ... 15/7 .. 19/10 .. 23/13 .. 28/17 .. 30/20 .. 30/19 ... 26/17 .. 22/13 .. 16/9 ... 13/6

Venice ......................6/0 ......8/2 .....12/5 .. 17/10 .. 21/14 .. 25/17 .. 27/19 .. 27/18 ... 24/16 .. 19/11 .. 12/7 .... 8/3

Sea temperatures (monthly average) :

.....................J ...F ...M ...A ...M ...J ...J ...A ...S ...O ...N ...D

Cagliaria ....14 ..13 .14 ...15 ...17 ..21 .23 .24 ..23 ..21 ..18 ..15

Palerma .....15 ..14 .14 ...15 ...17 ..21 .24 .25 ..24 ..22 ..19 ..16

San Remo ..13 ..12 .13 ...14 ...16 ..20 .22 .23 ..21 ..19 ..17 ..14

Venice .......10 ...9 ..11 ...14 ...16 ..20 .23 .24 ..22 ..18 ..15 ..12

In the north the vegetation is make up of oak and chestnut trees, in the mountains there are birch trees, fir trees, larch trees, wild pines and pasture land up to the snows.

In the Po Valley there is gorse and to the south on the coast and on the islands there are larch trees, maritime pines, cyprus trees, olive trees, carob trees and laurel.

Sardinia is situated to the south of Corsica and separated from it by the Bonifacio straits (12 kms), it is 180 kms from the Italian coast. It is 260 kms long by 120 kms wide.

15 - Working in Italy

Some advice :

If you want to take Italian lessons or a refresher course before going to Italy you can get information from :

4 rue des Prêtres Saint Severin, 75005 Paris Tel 01 40.46.82.52
or from the Italian Cultural Institute, 50 rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris Tel 01 44 39 49 39

Before leaving for Italy :

It is a good idea to go to the Italian representatives in France, the Embassy, consulates etc and ask for information.

Get the addresses of French companies installed in Italy (over 500), either from the French Centre of External Trade (CFCE), the information has to be paid for, or by writing to the Trade Commissions in Italy. It will probably be easier to find a job in a French company than in an Italian one. Contact the companies' headquarters both in France and in Italy.

It is advisable to search in the north of Italy (Bologna, Milan, Turin, etc) rather than in the south.

Looking for a job once you are already in the country :

Register as quickly as possible at the Questura which is the nearest to your residence to get a residents' permit, a permesso di soggiorno, whether you have a work contract or not.

If you don't have a job, you will get a residents' permitwhich shows that you are searching for a job. If you do have a job the employer will apply for it for you and get you a work booklet, a Libretto di Lavoro.

Then you have to go to the tax services (intendenza de finanza) and get a fiscal number (codice fiscal). You need this number to complete all the formalities that you need to live in Italy, registering with the Collomento, opening a bank account ...

You have to register with the 'Collocamento', the Labour Exchange, in the town in which you are residing, otherwise noone can legally employ you. This organization, the Ufficio di Collocamento Manodopera, is the only official agency.

Your curriculum vitae should be short and be accompanied by photocopies of all the diplomas you have obtained. Some employers will even ask for the marks that you got.

The easiest jobs to get are in tourism, and working in hotels and restaurants, if you speak good Italian. Banks, insurance companies, supermarkets and import and export companies could also offer job opportunities. The best way to find a job in Italy is to know people and to be resourceful.

You can get help and information from the Chambers of Commerce, e.g. in Milan the British Chamber of Commerce is on the via Agnello 8, tel 02-876981/877798. Fax 02-2810-0262.

You can put an ad in the papers, e.g. in the Corriere della Sera, The Informer, Buro Service, Via dei Tigli 2, 20020 Arese tel 02-9358-1477. Fax 02-9358-0280.

Specialized organizations which could be of help :

Rome Accueil (cf list of Useful Addresses ), the Informagiovani (information centres for youth) : Centro turistico studentesco e Giovanile -Via Nazionale 66 -00184 Rome : (6) 46791 and Informshop- Via Donizetti - 20122 Milan : (2) 77 28 43 et 44.

16 - Formalities

Tourist trip (less than 3 months) :

All members of the European Union have to have a valid national identity card or a passport to enter Italy.

Professional stay (over three months) :

To exercise a profession in Italy you have to have a residence permit which you can get from the Questura (the police headquarters). The application must be accompanied by a proof of identity (+ 2 photocopies of it) and your work contract if you have one.
If you don't have one you will get an attestation that you are looking for a job (in attesta di lavoro).

When your permit has to be renewed it can be done at the circoscrizione (the local police stations).

Once you have received your permit you have to contact the organization which gives out the work booklets (the libretto di lavoro). To get one you need to show your residence permit, a proof of identity and pay 500 lira to the following address (if you are in Rome) : Anagraffe Centrale - Ufficio Stranieri - Via Petroselli 50 - 00186 Rome : (6) 67101.

Then apply for your fiscal code to the : Ufficio delle imposte dirette - Via della Conciliazione 5 - 00193 Rome.

Once you have all these formalities in order, register with the Collocamento, showing a proof of identity, your residence permit, your libretto di lavoro, your fiscal code, and a certificate showing your civil status, which can be replaced by a declaration on your honour : Ufficio del Collocamento Centrale - Via Rolando Vignali 141 - 00173 Rome.

How to obtain health and welfare benefits in Italy :

Either :
- be a permanenet resident in Italy
- be registered as unemployed and be able to prove that you have paid your dues to the Assedic in France
- be registered on the French social security register and fill in the forms E111 or E112 (see 'Health')

17 - Health

Before going to Italy take out an insurance covering health and travel risks and take along the E111 or E112 forms which will allow you to have any hospital charges covered directly.

If you have an accident the Croce Verde or the Red Cross will intervene and give the first medical attention in the ambulance. Road accident victims are then taken to the nearest hospital. There is a high percentage of road accidents so be particularly careful.

There is an emergency medical number but it is not a very efficient service.

The hospital service in general is not very efficient.

Medical care :

Medical care is free if you are a resident in Italy and correctly registered with the administrative services. To consult a public general practitioner, the wait is usually long. If you are in a hurry it is better to consult a private doctor, although the fees are generally extremely high. If your insurance policy covers repatriation, it is not a bad idea to get back to France if you have something serious.

Vaccinations :

Have your regular vaccinations up to date (tetanos, typhoid and polio) and get vaccinated against hepatitis A and B if you are staying over three months.

AIDS exists like anywhere elso, so protect yourself.

Animals :

You can take your pets to Italy, you need the certificates to prove that the vaccinations are up to date.

18 - Connections with France
Paris - Milan :

By plane :
There are 5 flights a day Paris-Milan by Air France. There are also departures from Lyon, Toulouse and Marseilles. Alitalia does 7 daily flights to Milan from Lyon, and one a day from Marseilles, Toulouse and Nantes (except on Sundays).

By train :
There are five daily trains between Paris and Milan, the Lutetia and the Cisalpin do the trip during the day and the Parthenon, the Lombardy Express and the Calais-Venice do the trip at night.

Paris - Rome :

By plane :
The distance is 1,402 kms. The Rome airport is the Leonarda de Vinci which is 35 kms out : tel. 6 65951.
Air France, Alitalia have regular flights. Air Littoral also goes to Rome from Montpellier.

By train :
There are two night trains from Paris, the Palatino and the Napoli Express.

To get to Sardinia:

By plane :
In summer TAT and Meridiana go from Orly, other connections can be taken from most of the major Italian towns with ATI and Meridiana.

By boat :
It is expensive, there are several possiblities :
From Toulon, Livournes or Genoa to Porto Torres.
From Civitavecchia, Naples or Palerma to Cagliari.
From Civitavecchia, Pisa or Genoa to Olbia.
From Genoa to Arbatax.
From Bonifacio to Santa Teresa Gallura.

You can ferry your car over with you.

Internal transport :

Internal airline companies are Alitalia, Meridiana, Air Dolomiti, TAS, ATI, Avianova and Aliadriatica.

Rail transport:
Italian Railways
23 rue d'Alsace
75002 Paris : 01 44 71 30 00.

Maritime transport :
Compagnie CIT
3 Bd des Capucines
75002 Paris. : 01 44 71 30 00.

In Milan there are three metro lines (not a reference, the stations are dirty and badly lit), buses and trams which are quick and not very expensive.
19 - Time differences
There are no time differences with France.
20 - Telecommunications
and press

Telephone :

To phone Italy from France : Dial 00 39 + the town code then the n° of your correspondent
Some town codes :
Florence : 055
Sienna : 0577
Rome : 06
Venice : 049
Milan : 02

To phone France from Italy : 00 33.

Newspapers :

- « Corriere della Sera », a daily with a TV magazine supplement. A serious newspaper.
- « L'Espresso », a weekly, belonging to Carlo de Benedetti.
- « L'Europeo », a weekly, which is very easy to read
- « Il Giornale », a daily.
- « Il Giorno » a daily.
- « L'Indipendente », a daily, of local interest
- « Il Manifesto », a daily from the anti-fascist left wing
- « Il Messagero », a popular daily, lots of photos.
- « Panorama », a weekly.
- « La Repubblica », a daily.
- « Il Sole-24 Ore », a financial daily paper.
- « La Stampa », a Piemont daily belonging to the Agnelli family (Fiat).
- « L'Unita », a daily from the PDS party.
- « La Voce », an innovative daily
21 - Airports
Rome : the Leonardo da Vinci airport (called Fiumicino) is 35 kms from the town centre.
There is a train every 30 minutes from the airport to the town centre, the journey takes an hour and it costs 8,000 lira.
There is a bus every hour, the price is 5,000 lira, the last bus run is at 9pm.
The Ciampino airport: buses every 30 minutes, the price is 3,000 lira, the last bus run is at 11pm.
Taxis : cost about 80,000 lira during the day (+30% night charges)

Milan : Milan Linate is 10 kms from the town centre. It is often closed in winter because of fog.
There is also the Milan-Malpensa

Bergamo : the Orio al Serio

Florence : the Peretola a Vespucci, 5 kms out of Florence, bus n° 62 goes to the centre of Florence every 20 minutes, price 1,500L
By taxi it costs about 60,000 L to get to town (+30% at night time)

Pisa : Galileo-Galilei, 2 kms south of the town

Bologna : Gugliemo Marconi, 6 kms out of town.

Cagliari (Sardinia) : at Elmas, 9 kms from Cagliari

Naples : Ugo Niutta-Capodichino, 6 kms from Naples

Palerma (Sicily) : Punta Raisi, 32 kms from Palerma

Venice : Marco Polo, 13 kms from Venice

Verona : Villafranca Veronese, 13 kms from the centre of town
22 - Car rental
23 - Hotels & restaurants
Italian restaurants are as expensive as Parisian ones. It is very important to be well dressed, Romans and Milanese attach a lot of importance to elegance.

In Sardinia hotels are closed from October to April. They are fully booked between the 5th and 25th August which is the period that the Italians come over on holiday. On the Costa Smeralda the hotel prices are quite high but other places on the island are much less expensive.

(see the list of Hotels in 'Useful Addresses').
24 - Your suitcase
During the summer take very light clothing with a sweater or jacket for the evening. If you are going to the north take a raincoat and an umbella.
In the Alps the weather will be cooler so have warmer clothing with you.
In Sicily and Calabra it is better not to wear shorts, mini skirts or low cut dresses.

In winter you will need woollens, a coat, gloves, boots etc.
25 - Information
Unemployment and youthful criminality are the main political topics.An inefficient immigration policy and the proximity of Italy to the Balkans has contributed to the mass arrival of illegal immigrants. Contrary to earlier immigrants, about a million of them in the country who live honestly, many of these new illegal immigrants are organized in mafia-type gangs and either compete with local criminals or collaborate with them.

Justice : there is at least a ten year wait between an arrest and a court verdict. Out of every 10 convictions to a prison sentence, 8 are never put into effect.
Reforms are urgently needed.

Only 20% of Italians wear a seat belt, according to the Italian Automobile Club, compared to 80% in the rest of Europe. It is still very unusual for an Italian to stop at a pedestrian crossing.

Public holidays :

2nd June : Republic Day
29th June : Rome Day (St Peter)
15th August : Assumption
1st November : All Saints' Day
7th December : Saint Ambroise (only Milan)
8th December : Immaculate Conception
25th December : Christmas
26th December : Saint Etienne
1st January : New Years' Day
2nd January : Epiphany
April : Good Friday
April : Easter Mondy
25th April : National Day
1st May : Labour Day

Main Unions :

CGIL, Confederazione Generale del Lavoro (socialist communist)
UIL, Unione Italiana del Lavoro (socialist)
CISL, Confederazione Italiana Sindacati del Lavoro (Christian democrats)
CISNAL (right wing), Confederations of industry, commerce and agriculture
26 - Banks
To open a bank account in Italy you need to have your identity card or your passport with you, your fiscal code (see 'formalities') and a letter from your employer or someone known to the bank.

The main Italian banks are :

Banca di Roma, Credito Italiano, Banca Nazionale del Lavoro and the Banca Commerciale Italiana.

Banks are open form 8h30 to 13h30 and from 15h to 16h from Mondays to Fridays.
In Venice the banks close at 13h30 for the rest of the day.
27 - Schools
(See the list of schools in 'Useful Addreses - Schools').
28 - Guides
In French, published by the French Trade Commissions or other organizations :
(PEE = Trade Commission)

- « Les grands projets de travaux publics  (big public work projects)» : PEE Rome Nov. 94 price 1200 F.

- « La gestion des hôpitaux publics et des maisons de retraite  (the management of public hospitals and retirement homes)» : PEE Rome January 1995 - 80 pages - 1500 f.

- « La privatisation de l'ENI (the privatization of the ENI) » : note PEE Rome Fev. 1995 - price 385 f.

- « La dérèglementation des secteurs des télécommunications  (changing the rules in the telecommunication sectors)» : note PEE Rome - May 94 - Price 385 f.

- « L'adaptation au marché unique dans le secteur agro-alimentaire  (adapting to the monetary union in the foodstuff sector)»: note PEE Rome - 1994 - 14 pages- 385f

- « Le panorama de la distribution moderne  (the panorama of modern distribution)» : note PEE Rome - 1994 - 66 pages - price 385 f.

- « Les contrats de distribution commerciale (the contracts of commercial distribution) » : note PEE Rome - 1994 - 53 pages - price 385 f.

- « Le système bancaire italien  (the Italian banking system)» : note PEE Milan - e38098/94x - 1994 - 56 pages - price 385 f.

- « Etudes économiques de l'ocde 1995 (Economic studies from the OECD 1995) » : 75206 - 1994 - 184 pages - price 126 f.

- « Annuaire des implantations francaises  (Index of French companies in Italy) » : CFCE - 63134 - 1994 - 118 pages - price 1000 f.

- « Couts d'approche et d'implantation (Cost of approach and installation) » : CFCE - 43730- 1994- 136 pages - price 550 F.

 29 - Observations

 Cost of living :

Accomodation :

In Rome a room costs between 400,000 and 600,000 lira per month and a flat between 700,000 and 1,200,000 a month.
A bedsit in Milan or Turin costs between 600,000 and 900,000 lira a month.
Reception centres in Rome and Milan can help you find accomodation (see 'Useful Addresses').

Investing in the country :

It is relatively easy to invest in Italy, you only have to open a local bank account and transfer the capital.

There is only one obligatory formality, you have to make a customs' declation for all sums above 50,000 FF (see the list of customs agents in the list of 'Useful Addresses').

Tourism

In 1998 tourism brought in 29.8 billion dollars.

As Italy is both a Mediterranean country and an Alpine country there is a large choice of destinations. As well as various different kinds of landscape there is an immense cultural and artistic domaine. All the historical periods, from Antiquity, Renaissance and Baroque to the modern period have left an infinite cultural and archeological wealth to discover. Music, opera, the Commedia dell'Arte, cinema and design have made Italy a great artistic nation.

There are innumberable museums which are always very interesting whether they be private or public. They are usually closed on Sunday afternoons, Mondays and public holidays, the the official closing day varies depending on the tourist season. The Italian tourist office can give you precise information on the region you are visiting.

Churches are often closed between 12 and 3pm and after 7pm. National museums are free of charge for people over 60 years old.

Gastronomy

Italian cuisine is natural, colourful and tasty. The wines are good, often as good as French ones.
You can find all kinds of restaurants from the simple 'trattoria' to the classiest 'ristorante'. Italians eat late and restaurants stay open very late. 'Pane e Coperto' (bread and cutlery) is always mentioned as a part of the bill.

Lodging

In the hotels the rooms are made available from early afternoon. When you are leaving you will be asked to leave your room before midday.

Main tourist sites

Rome, the "eternal city" where all the epochs are mixed together : imperial Rome, Renaissance and Baroque Rome, modern Rome, Christian Rome - the best way to soak up its charm is to stroll around its streets.

The national museums are open from 9h to 13h and closed on Mondays and public holidays.

Not to be missed : the Forum, the Vatican museum, St Peter's Basilica and the Sixtine Chapel, the Trevi fountain, the Coliseum ...

Shopping : the shops on the Piazza Fiume, in the via Cola di Rienzo and the via Nazionale. The luxury shops in the Ludovisi district and in the pedestrian streets around the via del Corso. For art and antique galleries go the the via del Babuino and the via dei Coronari. The flea market in the Porta Portese on Sundays mornings and the Trastevere district for handicrafts.

Gastronomy : all the different kinds of pasta : yellow and green tagliatelli, ravioli, cannelloni ...

Venice, the city of the Doges, has a charm all of its own, especially when the morning mist shrouds it in a veil of unreality. Built on a lagoon, on 117 islands, it was the capital of maritime trade from the 9th to the 15th century. The link between the East and the West, it is the homeland to Marco Polo, Titien, Veronese, Tintoretto, Vivaldi and many other illustrious men. Once you have visited Venice you can never forget it.

The national museums are open from 9h to 13h except on Mondays and public holidays.

Not to be missed : the Doges Palace, St Mark's Basilica, the Correr museum, the Accademia, the Guggenheim museum, the Scuola San Rocco...

Gastronomy : numerous fish and sea food specialities : polenta with squid ink, fish lasagna, black spaghetti with anchovies.

Florence, birth place of the Renaissance, cultural capital of Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The rich home of the Medicis, Florence abounds in magnificent monuments, palaces, churches, fountains and statues. Giotto, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michel Angelo, Dante, Machiavelli are all born in Florence or spent a good part of their working lives there.
Attention : it is forbidden to drive through the centre of Florence (except for taxis) from 7.30am to 6.30pm. You have to leave your car for the day in a public parking, it costs between 2,000 and 3,000 lira per hour. There is a good bus service all over town, you can buy transport cards in press and cigarette kiosks.

Not to be missed : the Bargello Palace and museum, the Pitti Palace and museum, the Ponte Vecchio, the Santa Croce church, the Piazza della Signoria, the Piazza del Duomo ...

Gastronomy : the bistecca alla Fiorentina, aostini di fegatini, trippa alla Fiorentina and pollo ai funghi.

Palerma : originally Greek, built between hills and sea, Palerma the Sicilian port has been built by a succession of civilizations. Noisy, colourful market places, magnificent delapidated palaces ...

Not to be missed : Pretoria square, which is called the "square of shame" because of all the nude statues!, the cathedral which was built on an ancient basilica which had been an ancient mosque, the Villa Giulia and its botanical garden.

Gastronomy : cuscus (balls of semolina steamed in a chicken or fish stock and flavoured with a clove, tomatoes and fresh coriander), octopus, sardine pate, and all seafood. For dessert the cassata siciliana : an ice cream cake made with ricotta, crystallized fruit and gingerbread.

Habits and traditions :

At six every evening Italians go out for a passeggiate : smartly dressed men on one side and women on the other wander through the village square or the main roads of the towns.

Shop rather on the markets than in the shops, you will find marvelous bargains.

Books and films on Italy :
(in French)

- Les nouvelles romaines (A. Moravia)
- Le Radeau de la Gorgone (Dominique Fernandez, published by Grasset)
- La mafia se met à table (J. Kermoal and M. Bartolomeil, Actes Sud)
- Péplums : Les derniers jours de Pompéi, Editions Quo Vadis ?
- Rocco et ses frères (Visconti)
- Cinéma Paradiso (G. Tornatore)

Shopping : a miniature gondola from Venice, a glass object from Murano, a carnival mask, a bottle of Chianti...

Useful Addresses in France
Embassies, consulates :

Italian Embassy
47 rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris. 01 49 54 03 00

Consulates :

- Bastia :
Rue Saint-François, 20200 Bastia : 04 95 31 01 52

- Bordeaux :
8 rue Claude Bonnier, 33000 Bordeaux : 05 56 51 56 51

- Chambery :
12 Bd Lémenc, 73000 Chambéry : 04 79 33 20 36

- Dunkerque :
11 Quai de la Citadelle, 59000 Dunkerque : 02 28 66 74 00

- Grenoble :
58 Cours Jean-Jaurès, 38000 Grenoble : 04 76 46 15 68

- Lille :
2 rue d'isly, 59000 Lille : 03 20 08 15 08

- Lyon :
5 rue Commandant Faurax, 69006 Lyon : 04 78 93 00 17

- Marseilles :
56 rue d'alger, 13005 Marseille : 04 91 18 49 18

- Mulhouse :
17 Avenue Clemenceau, 68100 Mulhouse : 03 89 66 41 11

- Nice :
72 Bd Gambetta, 06000 Nice : 04 93 88 79 86

- Paris :
5 bd Emile Augier, 75016 Paris : 01 44 30 47 00

- Toulouse :
2 Allee Forain François Verdier, 31000 Toulouse : 05 61 62 82 90

Chambers of Commerce :

- Marseilles :
2 rue Henri-Barbusse, 13241 Marseilles.