Italy from the Inside

Finding an English-speaking doctor in Florence

Doctors in Italy- Italy from the Inside

Photo by Francesca Tosolini

Did you know that the American Consulate of Florence has put together a list of English-speaking practitioners and medical facilities located in Florence and nearby towns in Tuscany? You can also contact this hospital, which has English speaking practitioners: The Medical Service in Via Roma, 4 in Florence (055 475411). Hopefully you won’t need it though!

{This is an excerpt from chapter 8 “Hospitals and pharmacies” of the eBook “Italy from the Inside. A native Italian reveals the secrets of traveling in Italy”}

 

 

The Parco Sigurta’, near Verona

Photo by Francesca Tosolini

If you are planning to go to Italy and to visit the Veneto region, don’t forget this name: Parco Sigurtà, near Verona and only thirty minutes away from Sirmione. The park is very large, however, there is a small road train, golf buggies or bicycles by which to tour the gardens. The walks are very pleasant and there are a lot of places to chill out. Among the many points of interest, the kids particularly loved the maze and the farm.

Running some numbers: phone calls from and to Italy

Phone calls to and from Italy- Italy from the Inside

A detail of a building in Verona (Photo by Francesca Tosolini)

In Italy, you must first dial the city area code (prefisso) even if you call within the same city. The city area code always starts with “0”. Until mid-’98, the area code was separated from the actual phone number. Then, as cell phones (cellulari) became more and more popular, the dialing system had to be changed and now the area code number is built into the number itself.

Cell phones area codes never start with “0”, but usually with “3”. Another important thing to remember is that city area codes don’t apply when you call a cell phone number. So, if you are calling a cell phone, you would not dial the “0” first.

To call Italy from the States dial 011 39 + the city area code (which starts with a 0) + the number.
To call a cell phone from the States dial 011 39 + the cell phone code (which probably starts with a 3) + the number.
To call the States from Italy dial 001 + the area code + the number.

{This is an excerpt from Chapter 10 “Telephones” of the eBook “Italy from the Inside. A native Italian reveals the secrets of traveling in Italy”, available on Amazon.com}