Italy has so much to offer, and I bet you are excited to explore the glorious cities of the Roman antique and the green rolling Italian countryside hills.
But I know that it can be quite intimidating to plan your first trip to Italy. Therefore, I have summarized everything that you need to know before you head to Italy.
This guide for first time visitors to Italy will be periodically extended because there is always something new to learn in Italy, and we frequently spend time in Italy.
Language
English is only spoken in Tourist destinations in Italy. That includes cities such as Venice, Milan, Florence, and Rome.
Younger generations learned English in school and may understand you, but they may not be open to speaking the language. It all depends on the person.
Generally, people speak Italian all over Italy, but dialects are common.
The differences are most evident between Southern and Northern Italians, where one might not understand the other one clearly.
Words that are common in some area in the south are not known in other parts of Italy.
This is because the Italian language was made the defacto language of the country, but countless other languages have existed for centuries in Italy.
That means that depending on the region, Italians may speak one of more of the following local languages: Ligurian, Veneto, Campanian, Apulian, Lucan, Campanian, Cosentino, Abruzzese, Corsican, Ladino, Tuscan, Piedmontese, Lombard, Emilian, Sicialian, Salentino, Calabrian and the Sardinian language. (Italian language map)
That said, most of these languages are about to become extinct.
Insider Tip: People in Europe use at times other English words and terms than you might be used to in the US.
Hotels & Check-ins
Book a hotel with air conditioning if you are visiting in the summer, but also if you are touring the hotter regions in spring or autumn.
Room air conditioning is not the norm in Italy (Generally stores, restaurants, museums etc. don't always have AC's).
The hotel front desk will ask for your passport during check in.
Tourist taxes (aka city tax) are separate from your room rate and are often paid cash. They charge per person per night. The rates are not universally the same and are set by the towns.
In the north (mostly in the mountain regions) you have the perk of getting a guest card as a paying tourist tax visitor. These cards can come handy as you get discounts on sights, cable cars and public transport.
Don't be surprised to see a bidet in Italian bathrooms, they are the norm.
Insider Tip: Planning a visit to the Italian countryside? Book a room at an Agroturismo to get the authentic Italian rural experience.
Weather and Seasons
Italy is split into Northern, Central and Southern Italy.
The weather conditions in Northern Italy are nothing like the climate in the South. The more south you move, the hotter it gets.
Especially the alpine regions, South Tyrol and Trentino, Aosta Valley and Friuli Venezia Giulia are much colder and the weather can change rapidly in these mountainous regions.
You need to wear jackets in spring and fall in the mountainous northern Italian regions, but the temperatures are warm, averaging about 80 Fahrenheit or 25 Celsius in the day at Lake Como and Lake Garda in October. Both lakes are in the north.
Florence, Rome, and Naples are super hot destinations in the summer months. The heat is different in Europe, and Air Conditioning isn't popular in Europe in general.
Insider Tip: Research for the best time to visit Italy that suits your needs and expectations.
Restaurants and Dining Rules
Most Italian restaurants serve regional meals, but Touristic areas tend to offer Tourist friendly Italian food menus.
If you are a picky eater, stick to the tourist areas, if you seek to sample Italian regional food specialties, walk away to from the tourist areas and watch the locals during lunch and dinner time. They will lead you straight to the real deal places.
Do not rely on influencer reviews and 5-star Google map reviews. Elaborate restaurant review scams are common in Europe lately.
In Italy, you can choose to dine in a Ristorante, a Trattoria and an Osteria. All three are Italian restaurants, but each has its place.
When you take a seat at the table, you are charged coperto, which is a fixed table charge that you will have to pay. See the difference between coperto, service charge and tips in Italy.
You don't have to pay coperto in a coffee place if you drink your espresso at the bar standing. The moment you sit down, they will charge you coperto. Italians only drink Espresso at the bar.
The norm for Italian coffee is a small Espresso. If you ask for a Caffè, they will understand Espresso automatically. If you want a black coffee, ask for an Americano.
With Coffee, sugar and milk are usually added extras and some places in the north (e.g., Milan) still follow the old Viennese custom of serving Coffee with water.
Italians only ever drink Cappuccino in the morning, and lately, they get upset about non-Italians drinking Cappuccino in the afternoons, so keep that in mind. Ironically, Italians in Germany serve Cappuccino all day long without any qualms.
Tipping is not the norm, you tip only if the service was stellar and if you tip, you round up, that's it. To pay for your meal in a restaurant, you may have to walk to the payment counter.
Insider Tip: Book a restaurant table in advance in Rome and check the legal drinking age for teenagers and young adults in Italy.
Driving in Italy
Italians are known to be unpredictable drivers in Europe and the roads are narrow and small.
I wrote a complete guide on driving in Italy where I have added driving rules, parking options, highway norms and more.
Church & Dressing Etiquette
Italians are devout catholics, and they are more conservative in this domain than the rest of the continent.
They have implemented church attire rules almost all over the country (they are not that strict in South Tyrol). That means you need to dress appropriately when you want to enter a church.
Here is my guide on how to dress to visit an Italian church.
Besides, keep in mind, that most popular and important basilicas and cathedrals charge an entrance fee.
Public Transport
Public transport is affordable in Italy and not as expensive compared to neighboring countries in the north.
Tickets can be purchased on site at a ticketing machine or in a all tobacco shops, where you get scratch lottery cards, or online.
Tickets must be validated after purchase or else if you are caught you will have to pay a fine. Physical tickets are pushed into a validation machine printing or pressing into your paper ticket, and that's the validation stamp.
Insider tip: I wrote a helpful guide about public transport in Europe, and all rules are universally applicable for Italy.
Scammers and Pickpockets
You will have heard by now that Italy has a scammer and pickpocketing problem.
Most scams in Europe listed in this guide are very common in cities like Rome, Milan, and Venice. Study this guide to understand how they operate.
I'm going to add to that, avoid engaging with dodgy people and keep your valuables safe. Especially in subways and busy tourist hotspots such as at the Milan cathedral square or the Colosseum in Rome.
Tourist Sites
Very popular well-known tourist site tickets such as the Vatican museum and the Colosseum, should be booked in advance. Be prepared to queue also.
Always aim to visit the most well-known places right after opening time because guided tourist groups tend to arrive an hour later, and they fill up the space.
Besides, it can get super hot during the day, and therefore you are better off visiting landmarks in the morning or evening hours.
Payment Tips
Pay by card wherever possible and choose “pay in the local currency” on the card reader as this choice tends to be the better option to save currency exchange rates.
American Express Cards are not commonly accepted everywhere but Visa and Mastercard are the norm. Apple Pay isn't super common yet.
Cash is king in some areas in Europe, and the local currency in Italy is the Euro. To get Euros, go to a bank ATM and avoid Euronet ATMs and Exchange offices because they offer terrible deals.
Public Restrooms
I'll be very blunt, Italy's public restroom set up is awful. Be prepared to wander around searching for restrooms because they are absolutely not the norm. It's all the worse in all the major Tourist destinations.
If there are public restrooms, you will have to pay crazy rates just to use a dirty toilet. Not all toilets come with toilet paper, so bring some tissue paper along.
You can ask to go to the loo at a Café, but they will expect you to order something, or they might chase you out. A few good-hearted Italians will just let you use the restroom.
Emergencies & Travel Insurance
If you are ever in an emergency, dial the European Emergency hotline number, the 112.
The operators speak English, and they will help you no matter if you need medical help, police help or if you are involved in a car crash.
The medical team, on the other hand, might not speak English because English proficiency is low in Italy. Keep a language app such as DeepL or Google Translate ready.
Only travel to Italy with a travel insurance because you will be billed as a Non-EU tourist and that can get expensive really fast. EU member state tourists need to check with their local government social security service if they are covered in Italy (it's not a given).
In case of an emergency, contact your insurance ASAP to let them know about the situation so that they can start the coverage process. If you do it early enough, and you have a good insurance, they will pay it upfront. In most cases, you will have to collect all bills, pre-pay and you will get reimbursed later on.
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