How to Call Italy From the United States

Roman ruins, Renaissance art, and gelato morning, noon and night - the reasons to visit Italy are almost endless. Should you be planning a trip, follow these steps to place a call to Italy from the United States.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Determine what time it is in Italy. Italy is 1 hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, which means it's 6 hours later in Italy than it is on the East Coast of the United States, and 9 hours later than it is on the West Coast.
2. Dial 011, the international access code.
3. Dial 39, the Italian country code.
4. Dial the city code, including the initial 0. Italy is almost the only country for which you don't drop the 0 from the city code when dialing from the United States, and this method of calling is new in 1999, so don't be surprised if you see out-of-date instructions to drop the 0.
5. Dial the remaining digits.

Tips & Warnings

• Some city codes for major cities in Italy include 055 for Florence, 041 for Venice and 06 for Rome.
• If you're having problems getting through, dial 00 for the international operator and ask him or her to place the call.
• Calling between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. or on weekends will often cost up to 50 percent less than calling during business hours. Call your long-distance carrier to find out which hours are cheapest to call internationally with your long-distance plan.
• If you're calling from a pay phone, you'll need to have a calling card or charge the call to a credit card - you won't be able to feed the phone with coins fast enough to keep yourself connected. Follow the instructions printed on the phone for placing the call.