To set up a new account you will need to have a legal codice fiscale.  You can call and set up most things by phone.  Bills normally arrive once every 2 months and you do not send off a check to pay them but instead pay at the post office or have your bank automatically pay them via a bonifico.

Electricity
The company that handles electricity in Italy is ENEL.  Electricity in Italy is not like in the US where you can use as much as you need and then just pay every month.  Instead, here, you are allotted 3.0 kW. If you use more than this at any one time your power will shut off.  That means no running of the washing machine and a hair dryer at the same time.

230 V 50 Hz C, F & L Type L plugs/outlets may have different pin spacing.  The smaller and closer pins are for a rated current of 10 A, the bigger and wider pins are for a rated current of 16 A.  Both kinds are currently used and comply with the relevant Italian (CEI) regulations.  Some outlets have overlapping holes to accept either older or newer types.

New country, new appliances.  Unfortunately this can be a big expense but it is usually much better to buy new here than to bring stuff from back home.

Gas
Every area has their own gas company.  You should ask your rental agent or real estate agent who to contact for your area.  There are different kinds of gas as well.  City gas is metano and is pretty reasonable.  Most of the bigger towns have this. Even though many towns have it, loads of people never hooked up to the mains so they need to get gas tanks (bombole) to use for cooking etc.

When it runs out you go to the neighborhood store that sells new ones and either bring one home or have them drop one off.

Phone
Telecom Italia
www.telecomitalia.com

You can choose from a variety of phone services, from the “traditional” analog phone line, to ISDN, to ADSL. And to these, there are a number of additional (i.e. long distance) services that can be added on. For each of these services, there are a number of providers to choose from. Phones from the USA do not work in Italy.

Television
There are three main television/video standards in use throughout the world.
The system used in the US, Canada, Japan and some other countries is called NTSC.
Most of Western Europe, Australasia and Southern Africa use a system called PAL.
Eastern Europe (and France) uses SECAM.

The three standards are not compatible with each other. This means that a TV signal (or video) produced for one system will not work on machinery that’s been designed for another.

The Italian system is PAL; a non-PAL compatible television in Italy will not receive a signal or be able to broadcast sound and picture.  Therefore your television for the US will not work in Italy.  Multi-standard European TVs and VCRs with automatic switching circuitry are available from electronics suppliers.   There are very few English-language broadcasts in Italy.

Cable TV
Alice Home TV
www.telecomitalia.it

Offers Internet, telephone and TV

DFree
www.dfree.tv

Digital television service.

Fastweb
www.fastweb.it

TV, Internet and telephone all in one.

Water
Every area has its own water company.  These bills normally come once or twice a year. Many times if you live in an apartment building and have condominium fees, water will be part of this.

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