Euros and dollars
| Euros | In US dollars | US dollars | In euros |
|---|
At €1 = US$1.12, a quick rule is to add about an eighth to any price in euros: €25 is about $28, and €100 is about $112. Prices on shelves, menus and price tags already include VAT (IVA, 22 percent on most goods), so what you see is what you pay. The two extras are the coperto (cover charge) of about €1.50–4 per person at sit-down meals and the tourist tax at your hotel. A euro is 100 cents (centesimi). When a card machine or ATM offers to charge you in dollars, choose euros. See money, cards and tipping.
Temperature
| °C | °F | What it feels like |
|---|---|---|
| 1°C | 34°F | An average January high in Cortina, in the Dolomites. Ski weather. |
| 7°C | 44°F | A typical January high in Milan and Venice. Damp and often foggy in the Po Valley. |
| 13°C | 55°F | An average January high in Rome. Coat weather, but rarely bitter. |
| 19°C | 67°F | An April day in Rome or Florence. Bring a layer for the evening. |
| 23°C | 73°F | An average October high in Rome and Naples. |
| 32°C | 89°F | An average July high in Rome. Heat waves push well past it. |
| 33°C | 91°F | An average July high in Florence, often the hottest big city in summer. |
| 38.5°C | 101.3°F | A fever, if a pharmacist or a doctor asks. |
| 180°C | 356°F | A moderate oven, if you're cooking in a rental apartment. |
Italian forecasts, pharmacy signs and car dashboards give temperatures in Celsius. Italy runs about 750 miles (1,200 km) from the Alps to Sicily, so one trip can cover snow on the peaks and beach weather on the coast. In July and August, Rome and Florence often top 90°F (32°C): plan sights for the morning and evening. See when to go for weather by region.
Distance, speed and weight
| Speed sign | In mph | Where you'll see it |
|---|---|---|
| 30 km/h | 19 mph | Zones spreading through city centers; most of Bologna since 2024 |
| 50 km/h | 31 mph | The default in towns, unless signed otherwise |
| 90 km/h | 56 mph | Ordinary rural roads outside towns |
| 110 km/h | 68 mph | Main divided highways, and the autostrada in rain |
| 130 km/h | 81 mph | The autostrada (toll motorway) in dry weather |
Everything on Italian roads is metric: a sign reading 50 means 50 km/h, about 31 mph, and the rental car's speedometer shows km/h. To convert in your head, multiply kilometers by six and drop the last digit: 80 km is about 48 miles (the exact figure is 49.7). Speed cameras are common, and the blood alcohol limit is 0.05%, stricter than the US 0.08%. See driving in Italy.
Different from home
Italy weighs everything in kilograms and grams, and height is given in centimeters. At a deli counter or market stall, food is ordered by the etto (100 grams, about 3.5 oz): due etti of prosciutto is 200 grams, a little under half a pound. Prices on fruit, cheese and cured meat are usually per kilo (about 2.2 lb).
Fuel and liters
The fuel price uses the rate from the currency converter above. A US gallon is 3.785 liters.
| You'll see | Size | In US terms |
|---|---|---|
| Un quarto of house wine | 250 ml, a quarter liter | About 8.5 US fl oz, two small glasses |
| Mezzo litro (half liter) of house wine or water | 500 ml | About 17 US fl oz |
| A bottle of wine | 750 ml | About 25 US fl oz, the same bottle as at home |
| A large bottle of water | 1.5 liters | About 51 US fl oz, a little over 1.5 US quarts |
| A full tank in a compact car | 40–45 liters | About 10.5–12 US gallons |
Fuel is sold by the liter and costs far more than at home. On October 16, 2026, the national average self-service price was €2.03 a liter for gasoline (about $8.60 a US gallon) and €2.26 a liter for diesel (about $9.55 a US gallon), a little more on the autostrada. Diesel now costs more than gasoline, and many rental cars run on it. Fai da te (self-service) pumps are cheaper than servito (attendant service). Benzina is gasoline and gasolio is diesel: check the label on your rental car's fuel cap before you fill up. See driving in Italy.
Clothing and shoe sizes
Italian shops label clothes in Italian (IT) sizes, which run higher than both US and French or other European sizes, and shoes in European (EU) sizes. The tables below follow the conversions most retailers use, but sizing varies by brand and cut, and Italian fashion often runs slim, so check the store's own chart or try things on. The Italian word for a clothing size is taglia; for shoes it is numero.
| Women's clothing, US | Italy (IT) | France and much of the EU (FR) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 36 | 32 |
| 2 | 38 | 34 |
| 4 | 40 | 36 |
| 6 | 42 | 38 |
| 8 | 44 | 40 |
| 10 | 46 | 42 |
| 12 | 48 | 44 |
| 14 | 50 | 46 |
| Men's suits and jackets, US | Italy (IT) | Men's shirt collar, US | EU (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 46 | 14.5 in | 37 |
| 38 | 48 | 15 in | 38 |
| 40 | 50 | 15.5 in | 39 |
| 42 | 52 | 16 in | 41 |
| 44 | 54 | 16.5 in | 42 |
| 46 | 56 | 17 in | 43 |
| Women's shoes, US | EU | Men's shoes, US | EU |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 36–37 | 8 | 41 |
| 7 | 37–38 | 9 | 42–42.5 |
| 8 | 38–39 | 10 | 43–44 |
| 9 | 39–40 | 11 | 44.5–45 |
| 10 | 40–41 | 12 | 46 |
The short rules: for women's clothing, add 36 to your US size (a US 8 is an IT 44); for men's suits and jackets, add 10 to your US chest size (a US 40 is an IT 50). Shirts are sold by collar size in centimeters. Shoe sizes are the same across the EU, but brands differ by half a size or more, so leather shoes from a Florence workshop are worth trying on before you buy. Children's clothes are usually sized by age or by height in centimeters. Shopping phrases are in our Italian for travelers guide.
Time zones and calling home
Uses today's offsets. All of Italy, including Sicily and Sardinia, keeps one time: Central European Time (GMT+1) in winter and summer time (GMT+2) from the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday of October. France, Switzerland and Croatia share it; Greece is an hour ahead.
Watch out
Europe and the US change their clocks on different dates, so for a few weeks a year the usual gap shrinks by an hour. Italy moves its clocks on the last Sunday of March and of October; the US moves on the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November. New York is normally six hours behind Rome, but only five from October 25 to 31, 2026, from March 14 to 27, 2027, and from October 31 to November 6, 2027. Check timed-ticket release times, tour pickups and flight connections in those weeks. Hawaii doesn't change its clocks, so its gap to Rome changes twice a year.
To call a US number from an Italian phone, dial 00 1 or +1, then the area code and number. Italy's country code is +39, and unlike most countries you keep the leading 0 of a landline: a Rome number beginning 06 is dialed +39 06 from the US. Italian mobile numbers start with 3. The emergency number is 112, free from any phone. US carrier day passes and eSIMs are covered in phones, plugs and apps.
Plugs and voltage
Italy runs on 230 volts at 50 Hz, about twice the US voltage. Sockets take Type F (Schuko, two thick round pins) and Type L (Italy's own plug, three round pins in a line), and many are combination sockets. A small two-pin Type C adapter fits Type F sockets, small Type L sockets and the combination kind, so pack two or three. Older apartments may have only the large three-hole Type L sockets; a hardware-store riduttore (adapter) costs a few euros. Phone, tablet, camera and laptop chargers marked 100–240 V need only an adapter. US hair dryers, curling irons and flat irons made for 120 V will burn out or catch fire. More in phones, plugs and apps.
Dates, numbers and floors
| You'll see | It means |
|---|---|
| 07/04/2027 | April 7, 2027. Italy writes the day first, so 07/04 is never July 4. |
| 14:30 | 2:30 p.m. Train timetables, museum tickets and shop hours use the 24-hour clock. |
| €12,50 | Twelve euros fifty. Italy uses a comma where Americans use a decimal point. |
| €1.250 | One thousand two hundred fifty euros. The period separates thousands. |
| PT, T or 0 in the elevator | The ground floor (piano terra). The primo piano (first floor) is what Americans call the second floor. |
| 1 etto, 1 kg | 100 grams (about 3.5 oz) and 1 kilogram (about 2.2 lb). Deli counters and markets sell by weight. |
| 9–13, 16–19:30 | Typical small-shop hours: open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., closed midday, open again 4 to 7:30 p.m. |
| Orario continuato | Open all day, with no midday break. |