What is the standard electricity supply?
A 3 kWh supply is a standard. Being not enough should several home appliances be used at once, power cut off may easily occur. A 4.5 or 6 kWh supply is therefore recommended. It is possible to apply for higher kWh, however consider that in Italy electricity is quite expensive.
How can I set up utilities?
Normally by calling the dedicated call centre and providing your ID document, Italian Tax Code (Codice Fiscale) and other documents/information varying utility to utility and city to city. Although service providers may manage connections differently, in general once utility is hooked-up hard copy of the contract is sent to your home address via postal mail. You will have to fill-in/sign a few documents (the contract itself, a confidentiality agreement, a request for direct debits from his/ her bank account, etc.) and send them back to the supplier company. Normally a pre-paid envelope is provided by the service supplier.
Do I need to attend to utility connections?
Your presence is required to hook-up the gas supply when the meter to be fitted or unsealed is inside your property. The same applies for telephone and/or internet. As to electricity, your presence is normally not required.
How can I pay my utility bills?
Payment methods:
• Direct debit, definitely the easiest and most practical solution.
• Bank transfer
• Using the “bollettino”, a form enclosed to the invoice, and going at any post office or tobacconists’ with “Lotto” facility
• At any post office, by cash or debit/credit cards.
• Via credit card, by registering on your supplier’s website.
Payment options may vary based on the service provider.
Will my television, laptop and other electrical appliances work in Italy?
The electrical voltage in Italy is 220V / 50 cycles, so depending on your appliances you may be able to buy adaptors and to use them. If a power unit is needed to convert them, it could be cheaper and safer to purchase new ones here.
Am I allowed to install a satellite dish?
Satellite dishes may be installed with the permission of the landlord and possibly negotiated in the tenancy agreement. Some buildings apply limits and restriction to install satellite dishes, others instead are served by a common centralised dish. The decoder can be bought or hired. If you wish to watch your home country satellite channels, the best way is to get hold of your foreign SKY subscription and decoder carrying it with you (EU countries only, if applicable). The satellite dish can be bought here and installed by a technician. You can otherwise subscribe with SKY Italy, offering original version movies and a few foreign channels like BBC, Fox, Euronews, Eurosport…
Is cable TV available in Italy?
SKY TV works independently from Fastweb and Telecom. No cable TV is provided via the above suppliers and it is necessary to install a satellite dish in order to watch SKY TV. Although SKY cooperates with Fastweb, the service offered may be not reliable. Therefore, whenever a satellite is available, we do suggest to subscribe to SKY separately.