Calling home when you arrive Italy

International Call Centers
Using international call centers to call your home country is the easiest way to speak to your family as soon as you arrive in Italy.  Many call centers are located in the center of every major city in Italy.  Cost to the U.S.A. is usually .10 cents per minute.  The prefix to call the USA is 001+area code+number. 

Cell Phones

If you plan on being in Italy for several months, it is better to buy a cell phone.  Telephone calls are expensive in Italy.  You should compare different service providers and then decide which one is reasonable for you.  Cell phone providers are Vodafone, Tim, and Wind.  A good benefit about cell phones in Italy is that incoming calls are free!  Only outgoing calls are charged.  The provider will also give you a good rate to call your home country depending on the kind of program you choose.
Once you buy a cell phone, you will need to purchase a ‘ricarica’ card of your chosen provider in order to have minutes to make phone calls.  These cards range from costing 5 euro to 50 euro and you can buy these at any Tabacchi shop.
 
USA 800 numbers:  The 800 numbers in the U.S. cannot be reached from the call center or cell phones.  You can only call 800 numbers by using an American phone card via a pay phone in Italy.   

Public Telephones

In order to use a pay phone in Italy, you must first buy a phone card ‘scheda telefonica’ at a tabacci shop.  Tear off the corner of the card that is marked.  Then insert this card in the pay phone.  You will see as you speak how much time you have left for the call. 
Warning:  Do not use the 800 numbers posted on the public phone booth asking for your credit card number!  Their rates are extremely high and sometimes they might continue charging your credit card fraudulently.  Best way to avoid this situation is to use Italian pay phones only with the ‘scheda telefonica’ prepaid phone card.

Photos courtesy of Accademia Italiana Skopje and Majestic Moose