Italy from the Inside

Pharmacies

Pharmacy sign
Italian pharmacies are recognizable by a green or red cross displayed outside the store. Pharmacies are privately owned stores and you won’t find them in any big grocery stores as in the USA. The pharmacists, who are all professionally trained, are reliable and many of them speak English, especially in the big cities and tourist areas.
Pharmacies have their own hours and are usually open from Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 1pm and 4pm to 7:30pm. Many of them are open on Saturday, while most are closed on Sunday. Every pharmacy posts a list indicating which pharmacies in the area are open outside of regular business hours, including night shifts.

In Italy, over the counter as well prescription medicines can only be given to you by the pharmacist (farmacista). In Italy what is considered to be over the counter products are only non-drug items such as baby, beauty or personal care products, and many similar others.

(This is just a small excerpt from Chapter 8 – Hospitals & Medical Assistance of our eBook.)

Strikes in Italy

When you plan internal transfers from various Italian locations, it’s always a good idea to budget some buffer time for unforeseen circumstances. Strikes (scioperi) and delays (ritardi) are normal everyday events.
In my last trip home, the Venice airport personnel announced a couple of hours strike on the spot because some union negotiations weren’t going as they hoped. After traveling for 14 hours from Seattle, that wasn’t necessary the best ‘Welcome home’ news I was expecting. I was lucky to see my luggage showing up on the belt right at the announcement, but I bet the next load of passengers weren’t that happy.
Sometimes friends ask me to review their itineraries. When I see their Italian vacation scheduled by the hour and packed with various transportation from city to city, I warn them that is a recipe for frustration. Trains have gotten better in recent years, but strikes are very common. Be flexible and prepared to cope with some delays and you’ll enjoy your trip even more.

Getting the best exchange for your money


What is the best way to exchange your US dollars to Euros in Italy? The answer is simple: ATMs. Out of the several available options (exchange offices, traveler’s checks, credit card withdrawals, etc), the most convenient and practical way remains to use your debit card in one of the many Bancomat machines (that’s how ATMs are called in Italy).
Although both yours and the Italian bank may charge a little fee, in our experience a few Euros fee is well worth your piece of mind to avoid carrying along large amount of cash all the time.
That said, it’s always a good idea to keep a safe amount of cash for emergencies, possibly in a hidden money belt like Rick Steves’ silk one.