The indicated quantities for 'personal use' are, for citizens of the European Union: 800 cigarettes, 400 cheroots, 200 cigars, 1 kg of tobacco, 10 litres of spirits (min. 22°), 20 litres of aperitives, 90 litres of wine, of which 60 may be sparkling, 110 litres of beer; for those who are not citizens of the European Union: 200 cigarettes, 200 cheroots, 50 cigars, 250 grams of tobacco, 1 litre of spirits, 2 litres of sparkling wine, 2 litres of wine.

Documents
For export, the regulations of the visitor's country of origin apply.
The adherence of Italy to the Schengen accord (of which Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany, France, Holland, Spain and Portugal are also part) has speeded up the crossing of the frontier for all citizens of the European Union from countries that are part of such alliance: for them an identity card is enough. Tourists from the European Union countries that do not adhere to the Schengen accord must have an identity document valid for other countries.
North Americans need a passport, but a visa from the Italian consulate is no longer required. At the end of their stay within the European Union, tourists from outside the EU can ask for a form for exemption from VAT on their purchases. First aid and hospital services are free to all the members of the European Union on presentation of the form E 111, available from the respective national health services.
Visitors from outside the European Union are advised to take out special medical insurance for the duration of their trip

Valuta
The lire will only be in circulation for little more than a year; to be precise, until 1 January 2002, when the debut of the single Euro coin will send 'into retirement' the bank notes with values of 500,000, 100,000, 50,000, 10,000, 5,000 and 1,000 lire, and the coins of 1,000, 500, 200, 100 and 50 lire.
Foreign currency may be changed at bank counters displaying the sign 'Cambio/Change/Wechsel', in the larger railway stations and at the airports; here too travellers' cheques can be converted into lire. As for the use of credit cards, although on the increase, they are much less common than in the other European nations and the United States.
Look out for the symbols appearing on the doors and windows of shops, hotels and restaurants, which is the only way of knowing if the bill can be settled in this way.

Time & date
In comparison to the meridian in Greenwich (London) on which the hours of the whole world are planned, Italy is a hour before, as all the nations of the center Europe (when to London they are the 12.00, to Rome they are the 13.00); here it goes off also, in sincronia with the other realities of the old continent, the legal time, that goes from end March to end October. In Italy the dates are written in this order: day, month, year (5/2/00 mean February 5 2000).

Public holidays
• 1 January = New Year's Day
• 6 January = Epiphany Easter
• Easter Day
• Easter Monday
• 25 April = Liberation Day, World War II
• 1 May = Labour Day
• 15 August = Assumption of the Virgin
• 1 November = All Saints Day
• 8 December = Immaculate Conception
• 25 December = Christmas
• 26 December = St Stephen

Electricity
Italy has the same voltage as the other European countries: 220 V. Adapters are still needed for the plugs (most Italian sockets have two holes) and, in the case of the U.S. citizens, a transformer

Salute
The creation of a single economic area with the Euro was preceded by harmonisation in many areas. In the field of health, free first aid and hospital services are available to all citizens of the European Union who have a special form (E 111) issued by the health authority of the relevant country. Visitors from other countries are advised to take out special insurance for the duration of the trip, to avoid the whole cost of medical treatment. North American visitors may find that the reimbursement of medical expenses incurred abroad is covered by their private insurances. Medicines can be obtained only from the pharmacy, independently from the fact that is produced from bench or to assume him behind medical prescription. Pharmacies are usually open from 8.45am to 12.30am and from the 3.15pm to 7.15pm. At night and on public holidays only some pharmacies are open. The list of pharmacies open on a rota is displayed on the doors of those which are closed.

Useful telephone numbers

• Carabinieri, tel. 112
• Customs, tel. 117
• Emergency public assistance, tel. 113
• First aid, tel. 118
• Breakdown assistance (ACI), tel. 116
• Fire brigade, tel. 115

Airports
• Florence airport, web www.safnet.it
• Pisa airport, web site www.pisa-airport.com
• Milan airport, web site www.sea-aeroportimilano.it
• Rome airport, web site www.adr.it/en/default.html

Trains
• Italians Railways, web site www.fs-on-line.com

Highways
• Italians Highways, web site www.autostrade.it

Ships
Maritime and cruise ship agencies services
• Tirrenia web site, www.tirrenia.it
• Corsica Ferries web site, www.corsicaferries.com
• Toremar web site, www.toremar.it

Maps
• Florence / Siena / Arezzo / Grosseto / Livorno / Lucca / Massa / Pisa / Pistoia