European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 9, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse This Royal court presides Over the festivities at Cava def Terreni. Itali an information winning team eventing the Igi Cri District tvs outside the int after Thi Cruger Mediterranean Bureau Italy confuses first time visitors. Water faucets Are marked c Caldo for hot and f Freddo for cold museum hours Are inconsistent. Museums and Public buildings Are often closed on a mondays Public holidays and afternoons. Public transportation May be halted or delayed by strikes or rerouted to somewhere you had no idea you Ever wanted to go. The simplest errand or journey often turns into an adventure. Those who know and appreciate Italy learn to go wit Klee flow. Want to take an inexpensive trip about 65 cents on a City bus just hop on and buy your ticket right wrong. Bus tickets must be bought in Advance at Newsstands or Tabac Cheria tobacco shops. Once aboard insert the ticket in a validating machine. Then especially on crowded buses be wary of pickpockets. The Cardinal Rule regarding Security of personal property in Italy is Don t carry anything you can t afford to lose. Let s return to tobacco shops for a minute. They also sell postage Stamps postcards and Legal papers priced according to the Type of Legal transaction they Are to be used for. Curiously tobacco shops also have the monopoly for Selling Salt. A losing the phone system is a trip 1 he numbers Range from four to eight digits Anil he information service Seldom answers its of n a phones. First you have to find a phone. Don t look Tor phone Booths for except in air terminals and train stations they Are extremely rare. Instead March to the nearest bar synonymous with Quot cafe Quot in Italy or restaurant. Virtually All of them have pay phones. Some older phones take Only phone slugs called Geffon Fand available from the cashier while newer phones accept 100-, 2ihl and 500-lire coins. A few phones take the recently. Introduced plastic phone cards i Oca i Calls Cost 200 lire about 24 cents. Forget about eating Amer an style breakfasts in Italy for they Are served in Only the most expensive hotels. Save lots of lire by ordering an italian cafe breakfast of trophy capuccino espresso Coffee with steamed milk and com eff croissants when ordering you must first pay the cashier then Lake your Scontrino receipt to give your order. Slapping Down a Small tip of 100 or 200 lire helps to ensure prompt service Many misunderstandings on or when foreigners get their restaurant Hills. Italian restaurants Heap on a number of charges. Foreigners Aren t used to. All italian restaurants include a a Oporto cover charge to Rover the Cost of bread and use of linens and silverware. It usually runs about 2,000 lire nearly $2 per person and does not cover any service. The Congo Bill will also include Iva a value added lax and probably a Servi to service charge for the waiter. It no Servit e charge is added you Are expel Ted to tip about .15 percent. While restaurant Hills frequently mount up to shocking sums the Cost of wine is extremely reasonable in Italy especially if patrons stick to Vino locate local wine keep your Eye on the clock while in Italy. Shops open their shutters sometime Between a and 10 . And then close at around 1 or 1 10 . They reopen Between 4 and 5, and close for the evening Between 7 and a 10. And get to the Bank Early. For the most part Hanks open at 8 30, close for two hours at 1 it and reopen for a . 1 a italian Money May or May not Burn a Hole in your pocket but its sheer Hulk will Wear one. In a currency where the t . Dollar currently equals around 1,200 lire it lakes Mounds of coins to make even the smallest of purchases. The italians have rec Nelly in Rodik de lighter 50-and 100-lire coins. The 50 lire i oms Are useful for tipping at Coffee bars while the 100 lire Coin is Good for feeding the phone. Teams in the Dis Fida include both men and women and parti pants this year ranged in age from Early teens to late 70s. August t l Al Stripe Agasim
