Italy: country facts, travel advice and health

Official app for calling the European emergency number; it works only in some regions.Book rides with a driver.Book taxis.Book taxis and rides.Connect to the government's free public Wi-Fi network across the country.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Cards or cash

Mostly cashMostly cards

Step 2 of 5: Cash is used for many payments, so carry enough of it.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Money in Italy

Euro · € · EUR

Use bank-run cash machines, which often waive fees for foreign cards.

Carry some cash for tips, as a tip can't be added to a card payment.

Say you don't want bread and the restaurant may leave off the cover charge.

From outside the EU? Reclaim VAT on goods you take home: ask for a tax-free form and bring your passport.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

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Public holidays in the next 12 months

Tue, 8 Dec 2026 · Immaculate Conception Immacolata Concezione

Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day Natale

Sat, 26 Dec 2026 · St. Stephen's Day Santo Stefano

Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day Capodanno

Wed, 6 Jan 2027 · Epiphany Epifania

Sun, 28 Mar 2027 · Easter Sunday Pasqua

Mon, 29 Mar 2027 · Easter Monday Lunedì dell'Angelo

Sun, 25 Apr 2027 · Liberation Day Festa della Liberazione

Sat, 1 May 2027 · International Workers Day Festa del Lavoro

Mon, 17 May 2027 · Whit Monday Lunedì di Pentecoste

Wed, 2 Jun 2027 · Republic Day Festa della Repubblica

Sun, 15 Aug 2027 · Assumption Day Ferragosto o Assunzione

Mon, 4 Oct 2027 · St. Francis of Assisi's Day San Francesco d'Assisi

Mon, 1 Nov 2027 · All Saints Day Tutti i Santi

Source: Nager.Date · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Italy say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says

No travel warning

Calm ●

Caution

Serious

Don’t go

Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 23 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

U.S. Department of State says

Exercise increased caution

Calm

Caution ●

Serious

Don’t go

Level 2 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 9 Sept 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

UK Foreign Office says

No advice against travel

Source: GOV.UK
Updated 21 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Scams to know

Fake car trouble

Beware strangers who flag you down or claim your car is faulty; keep valuables close.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Distraction theft

Keep your bags in sight and spread your valuables across several places.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Spiked drinks

Never accept a drink from a stranger, and keep your own glass with you.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Get routine vaccinations up to date. Altitude sickness can strike in high areas like the Alps and Dolomites.

Vaccinations

Be up to date on your routine vaccines before you travel.

Altitude

Altitude sickness can strike in high areas such as the Alps and the Dolomites.

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.

Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use

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Must-see · 1Rome

The Eternal City, as striking now as in ancient times

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Strange & surprising · #1

There have been no 1- or 2-cent coins in use since 2018, so cash totals are rounded to the nearest 5 cents.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

National anthem: Il Canto degli Italiani. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

62 World Heritage sites in Italy, each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List

05Free

Deep facts

Economy
GDP	≈ $2.6 trillionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person	≈ $43,309Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exports	packaged medicine, garments, cars, refined petroleum, vehicle parts/accessories (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Population
Population	58.9 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age	48.8 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy	83 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Religions	Christian 80.8% (overwhelmingly Roman Catholic with very small groups of Jehovah's Witnesses and Protestants), Muslim 4.9%, unaffiliated 13.4%, other 0.9% (2020 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2020 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Geography
Area	301,340 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climate	predominantly Mediterranean; alpine in far north; hot, dry in southSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrain	mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlandsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Government
Type of government	parliamentary republicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Calling code	+39Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).