๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Rome ยท First days

First 48 hours in Rome

The first two days in Rome, in priority order: what has to happen, what should, and what can wait. Tick things off as you go.

For Rome
How long you are staying

Must do

  • TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad all sell prepaid SIMs; bring your passport and, if you have it, your codice fiscale, since operators register both at activation. A local number unlocks Satispay, SPID and most app sign-ups.
  • Contactless bank cards and phones work at every metro gate on lines A, B and C, charging โ‚ฌ1.50 for 100 minutes including buses. On a bus without a contactless reader, use a BIT bought in advance and stamp it on board.
  • Book the Agenzia delle Entrate appointment now if you did not get the code at a consulate. Nothing is signed or registered without it.
  • Non-EU arrivals have eight working days from entry. Collect the yellow kit at a post office, hand it in at a Sportello Amico counter (or sign at the Sportello Unico if your visa is for work), and keep the receipt on you.
  • Ask the landlord to register the contract with the Agenzia delle Entrate within 30 days and send you the RLI receipt. Without it there is no residenza, and without residenza no health card.

Should do

  • The single emergency number for police, ambulance and fire. 113, 118 and 115 still connect too.
  • The shop with the blue T sign sells bus tickets, marche da bollo for official forms, phone top-ups and stamps, and many take bill payments.
  • Where paper tickets are still sold, stamp it in the machine on board or at the gate the first time you use it. An unvalidated ticket counts as no ticket, and inspectors fine on the spot.
  • Do it the day you move in. The address check for residenza is unannounced, and a name nobody can find closes the file.
  • Bring your passport, codice fiscale and lease. Without residenza you may only be offered a non-resident account, which you can upgrade later.
  • The โ‚ฌ250 annual pass loads onto a card with your name and photo, issued at ATAC ticket offices with a form and a copy of your ID. Treat it as a separate errand.
  • Every short and tourist let must display a CIN. A furnished central flat by the month that carries one is holiday stock, not a residential lease.
  • Cameras guard the centre, Trastevere, San Lorenzo and Testaccio on their own schedules, and fines arrive by post months later. Never follow a satnav through a gate.

Nice to do

  • Ask for un caffรจ and drink it standing at the counter. Pay first at the till in busy bars, and expect to pay more for the same coffee at a table.
  • The cast-iron drinking fountains all over the city run with cold, clean water. Block the spout with a finger and it arcs up for drinking.
  • Most embassies run a registration or alert service for nationals living abroad. It takes two minutes and helps in an emergency.
Your first 48 hours in Rome0/160% done. Ticks are saved on this device.
  • Must do0/5
  • Should do0/8
  • Nice to do0/3
Emergency112 ยท Police 113
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