Coin-operated telephones have become almost obsolete in Italy. You can still find a few of these old-world contraptions here and there, but you'll have much more luck finding public phones that take the scheda telefonica. These plastic cards are sold in denominations of 2.50, 5, and 10, and are available in tabacchis, post offices, most newsstands, and some bars. You'll need to break off the perforated corner of the card before you can use it. Remember that even the local calls are timed, so if you are using coins, be sure to put enough money in. A short local call is usually c. 0.20.

Note: Note: Phone calls to land lines within Italy are quite inexpensive, but if you have a number which starts with 338, 335, 339, 349, 347, 368, etc. If you dial one of these, you are calling a telefonino (cell phone), credit disappears much faster!

International Calls

International calls can be made at any public telephone box, either using an Italian card or your own calling/credit card.

To place direct international calls you must dial the following sequence:

00 + country code + area code + local number

Here is a list of some country codes:

• Argentina 54
• Australia 61
• Austria 43
• Belgium 32
• Brazil 55
• Canada 1
• Czech Rep. 42
• Denmark 45
• Egypt 20
• Finland 358
• France 33
• Germany 49
• Greece 30
• Hong Kong 852
• Hungary 36
• Ireland 353
• India 91
• Israel 972
• Japan 81
• Mexico 52
• Morocco 212
• Netherlands 31
• New Zealand 64
• Norway 47
• South Africa 27
• South Korea 82
• Spain 34
• Sweden 46
• Switzerland 41
• Turkey 90
• UK 44
• USA 1

Collect call numbers

You can also place collect or credit card calls by calling the operator in your own country:

• Argentina 172200
• Australia 1721061
• Brazil 172211
• Canada 172213
• Denmark 172450
• Finland 172235
• France 172236
• Germany 172490
• Hong Kong 172252
• Japan 172240
• Netherlands 172272
• New Zealand 172641
• Norway 172470
• South Korea 172226
• Spain 172461
• Sweden 1720046
• UK 172440
• USA (AT&T) 172444
• USA (Worldphone) 905825
• USA (Sprint) 172405

Letters and postcards

Postage costs depend on the country of destination and weight. Postage for standard weight international postcards and letters varies between € 0.65 and € 1.00.

Stamps can be bought at post offices as well as at tabacchis, which have longer opening hours and are much more numerous than post offices. Letters can be posted in any of the red post boxes mounted on walls around the city. Unless you're sending something to an address within Rome, use the slot marked "Per tutte le altre destinazioni."

Parcels

If you want to send an uninsured parcel, go to the post office at Via Cavour, 277, near the Forum (open Mon-Fri 8:30am-2pm, Sat 8:30-1pm) or Via Milano, 10, off Via Nazionale (same hours). If you want to send an uninsured parcel go to th post office at Via Monterone, 1, near Piazza Venezia (open Mon-Fri 8:20am-12:20pm) or the office at Piazza San Silvestro, 12, in the historical center (open Mon-Fri 8:30-6:30, Sat 8:30-1pm).

At the time of printing, prices are as follows:

If instead you want to send your parcel insured, go to the post office in Via Monterone, 1b (Mon-Fri 8:20am-3:20pm, Sat 8:20am-12:20pm), near Piazza Venezia.

Vatican Post

Frustrated by the sometimes leisurely pace of the Italian post, some Romans have turned their allegiance to the Vatican postal system. It costs the same as the Italian mail, but you must buy Vatican City stamps and send your letters, postcards, or parcels from the Vatican post offices located, logically enough, only within the Vatican City. There are two locations in Piazza San Pietro; one is behind the semicircular colonnade (on the right side as you face St. Peter's basilica), and another is along the orange wall between the colonnade and St. Peter's (on the left side as you face the church)--look for the blue boxes outside.

If you need to send a fax try one of the reasonably-priced call centres in the Termini and Vatican areas, many tabacchi also send faxes for c. € 2.00