It seems like it should be simple, but it stumps otherwise-intelligent people every day: How the heck do you call Italy from home — and call home from Italy?
Here it is, broken down in simple steps. Of course, for every phone call, keep time zones in mind; Italy’s one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, so it’s one hour ahead of (i.e., later than) London, six hours ahead of New York City, and nine hours ahead of California.
Also, if you’re bringing your cell phone from home to use in Italy (and I hope you looked at your plans with your cell phone company, and your other options for international dialing, first — as well as made sure that your network will work in Europe!) know that when you call an Italian number, you’ll call it like an Italian, no country-codes gobbledygook needed. But if you’ll be calling home, you’ll have to dial home as if you were calling from an Italian landline — i.e., with all those dialing codes.
Of course, you could always just make it easy for yourself and download Skype, the free voice-over-internet program. (You can add credit to your account to call internationally, often at very cheap rates). But if you don’t, here goes.
Dial an Italian phone number from the U.S.
1. Dial 011. That’s the international access code that you need to dial out of the U.S. to another country. If the number you’ve been given says something like +39 0123456789, then the + is what you replace with the 011.
Or, if you’re dialing from a cell phone, you can often just dial the +. No access code needed, since it knows where you are. (Creepy…)
2. Dial 39. That’s Italy’s country code.
3. Dial the rest of the number. Include the first 0. (For other countries, you drop that 0).
So: If someone hands you a card that says their Italian number is 0123456789, then, from the U.S., you dial 011 plus 39 plus 0123456789. Got it?
Dial an Italian phone number from another country outside of Italy
1. Dial your country’s international access code. For England and Ireland, it’s 00; for Australia, it’s 0011; from Canada, it’s 011 (yes, the same as the U.S.). You can easily find out your international access code here.Again, if the number you’ve been given says something like +39 0123456789, then the + is what you replace with this code.
Or, if you’re dialing from a cell phone, you can often just dial the +.
2. Dial 39.
3. Dial the rest of the number, with the first 0.
If you’re calling Italy from Australia, therefore, you’d dial 0011 plus 39 plus 0123456789.
Dial a U.S. phone number from Italy
1. Dial 00. That’s Italy’s international access code. If you’re dialing from a cell phone, you can often just dial the +. No access code needed.
2. Dial 1. (That’s the “1” as in, 1 (202) 123-4567).
3. Dial the rest of the number. (In the example above, that would be (202) 123-4567).
So for the example above, you would dial 00 plus 1 plus 202 123 4567, and you’re done.
Dial another country from Italy
1. Dial 00, Italy’s international access code. Or, if you’re dialing from a cell phone, you can often just dial the +. No access code needed.
2. Dial your country’s code. For Australia, that’s 61; for England, that’s 44; Ireland is 353; and Canada is 00.
Want more tips and tricks for travel in Italy? Check out The Revealed Rome Handbook: Tips and Tricks for Exploring the Eternal City, available for purchase on Amazon, below, or through my site here.
A travel journalist and Rome insider, I'm the author of the Revealed Rome website and of the Revealed Rome Handbook — now available in both print and e-book editions.
Also it’s important to note that almost all cell phones have the + on the keypad, even though most Americans never notice it because we don’t use it. If you want to be precise as possible, look on the dialing pad for your phone for the + symbol. It usually shares a button with the 0 or the *, and is accessed by either holding down one of these two buttons or by double tapping one of the two buttons. On most Nokia phones, for example, holding 0 will make the + appear.
Hi Lyn, if they are both mobiles, then the Italian number should just have to add a + and then the AU country code (which is 61) — doesn’t matter where the AU mobile is. If the Italian number is a landline, then they would have to call 00 (the Italy exit code) plus 61 plus whatever the rest of the AU number is. I hope that helps!
How I can call a local number in Rome(or Italy) using my cell phone from US.I will be on vacations in Rome and would like how to use our cell phone over there.
Thank you much for a reply. Cell phone plan from ATT.
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5 comments
Also it’s important to note that almost all cell phones have the + on the keypad, even though most Americans never notice it because we don’t use it. If you want to be precise as possible, look on the dialing pad for your phone for the + symbol. It usually shares a button with the 0 or the *, and is accessed by either holding down one of these two buttons or by double tapping one of the two buttons. On most Nokia phones, for example, holding 0 will make the + appear.
Very good point, Steve. Thanks! 🙂
Can any one help
If an Italian phone number wants to contact a Aud phone number who is in Italy
What code do they use
Hi Lyn, if they are both mobiles, then the Italian number should just have to add a + and then the AU country code (which is 61) — doesn’t matter where the AU mobile is. If the Italian number is a landline, then they would have to call 00 (the Italy exit code) plus 61 plus whatever the rest of the AU number is. I hope that helps!
Hi Amanda,
How I can call a local number in Rome(or Italy) using my cell phone from US.I will be on vacations in Rome and would like how to use our cell phone over there.
Thank you much for a reply. Cell phone plan from ATT.
Best regards,
Henry Hoang