If you are travelling to Italy, you will need to communicate as you travel to the different parts of that country. A pre-paid Italy SIM card is the most economical way to save your cell phone usage costs. At the time, when cell phones were not available, it was difficult for you to keep in touch with your associates, friends and with your family back home. You had to use the telephone in your hotel room to make your

calls. You are aware of the costs involved in using the hotel telephone. More-over, you could not make yourself available to others when you were out on travel. With the advent of cell phones, you have now the facility to move with your phone and get in touch with others and make yourself available all the time. A pre-paid Italy SIM card saves you up to 80% of your call expenses, as you move around to visit the wonderful places in Italy. This pre-paid Italy SIM card allows unlimited incoming calls which are absolutely free, no matter where they generate from. Further, you get a local number and all you pay for your calls as the locals do.

Italy is the land of gastronomic pleasures. You would be exhausted after a long day’s sight-seeing and would want to relax in a typical Italian cafe with a cup of the famous Italian Coffee. In the evening you might want to watch a show and then dine at one of the exquisite restaurants in Italy. With the proliferation of restaurants in Italian cities, you have a wide choice to select the right spot, where you can have your favourite dishes. With the overwhelming visitors crowding this wonderful country, you will perhaps need to book your seat at the show you would want to watch and also reserve a place for you in that favourite restaurant that you have selected. You have your cell phone with you and your pre-paid Italy SIM card. On purchasing this pre-paid Italy SIM card, you have with you a local Italian number and you pay for your outgoing calls as the locals do. This makes it so easy for you to book that seat in the show you wish to watch and also reserve your seat in that restaurant. In purchasing a pre-paid Italy SIM card, you are technically pre-paying for your calls that you make, and by that you are in full control of the expenses that you incur. With a pre-paid Italy SIM card, you do not pay for roaming and you do not receive any monthly bills at the end of the month. At the same time you are available all the time to the people who want to get in touch with you, with the pre-paid Italy SIM card providing you with the benefit of receiving unlimited incoming calls FREE of any charges. There is no contract for you to sign.

A pre-paid Italy SIM card is a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), which is a little smaller than a postage stamp and forms the mobile communication intelligence, providing you with the facility to make and receive calls from your cell phone and avail other mobile features. Your pre-paid Italy SIM card holds your unique information about you and your phone, such as, your SIM card number, your subscription information, the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) of your mobile phone and other security details. When you switch on your phone, the information is transmitted to the nearest network tower in the city that you are in. The network validates the information, completes the security checks and then logs you in. You are now ready to use your pre-paid Italy SIM card for outgoing and incoming calls. The pre-paid Italy SIM card also holds your address book, where you keep the names of the people and their telephone numbers, who you call frequently. It also logs the incoming and outgoing calls and also the ones that you fail to answer. These numbers are logged by the SIM card along with the respective call time and dates.

A pre-paid Italy SIM card saves you much more than any other options that you have in using your cell phone when you are in Italy. The first and fore-most option is ‘Roaming’, which is undoubtedly a costly proposition. When you travel out of your geographical area, you are then under a different network provider and roaming provides you with the facility to use your cell phone in such situations. In using your cell phone outside your geographical area you would be using the services of the network that you are visiting. This becomes possible through a business agreement between your own network provider and the network that you are visiting. Such an agreement involves business deals, and as and when the visited network is utilised, you are charged for your outgoing and incoming calls at roaming rates. This is how your incoming and outgoing calls become expensive when you are on roaming. On the other hand, with a pre-paid Italy SIM card, you do not pay for any roaming charges and also with unlimited free incoming calls and with your outgoing calls being charged at local rates, you can save up to 80% of your communication expenses.

Italy is a GSM country, compatible to your pre-paid Italy SIM card. This means that the country uses Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) technology for their mobile operation. When you purchase a pre-paid Italy SIM card, you would need a GSM handset with you when you travel to Italy. As most of the European countries, networks in Italy operate on GSM, with the networks operating on 900 MHz and 1800 MHz. GSM is an open structure second generation (2G) mobile technology and is the first digital technology developed for mobile communication. GSM is used in over 214 countries and has 80% subscription amongst the total mobile users in the world. There are four frequency bands offered by GSM and these are, 850 MHz, 900 MHz, and 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz, which are distributed to the different regions, with some of the regions using common frequency bands. Within these four frequency bands, North America, Canada and some of the countries in Americas use 850MHz and 1900MHz, which are exclusive to this part of the world. GSM offers the advantage of letting you remain in touch with the world from about anywhere in this planet.

When you visit Italy with your pre-paid Italy SIM card, you would need a GSM cell phone, since networks in Italy operate on GSM technology. If you have a GSM phone, it is highly unlikely that it would work in Italy with your pre-paid Italy SIM card, unless it is supports multi-frequency bandwidth, which includes 900 MHz and 1800 MHz. North America, Canada and few other neighbouring countries work entirely on different frequency bands. These bandwidths are – 850MHZ and 1900MHZ, as compared to the ones in Italy, which uses 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bandwidth.

To facilitate use of GSM cell phones in different parts of the world, handsets are available in multi-frequency bands. The Quad-band GSM phones, operate on all the GSM frequencies and there-by is suitable for use the world over. The Tri-band works on 800MHz, 900MHz and 1800MHz frequency bands, and operates in most part of the GSM region. There is the Dual-band, having compatibility with two of the GSM frequency bands – 800MHz and 1900MHz.

If you happen to be travelling abroad quite frequently, it will be economical for you to buy an appropriate GSM cell phone which will operate in the frequency bands of the several countries that you visit. Otherwise, you have the option to go for Italy cell phone rental for your visit to Italy, which can be used with your pre-paid Italy SIM card. For more information on buying or opting for Italy cell phone rentals, visit www.italysimcards.com

The GSM phone that you are taking with you on your visit to Italy, should be SIM unlocked, as otherwise, you will not be able to use your pre-paid Italy SIM card or any other SIM card for that matter. A SIM locked cell phone will only work with the SIM card which is meant for the phone. When you sign a contract with a service provider, a clause in that contract might stipulate a period of time during which you will be required to use the services of the provider. In return, you shall receive a cell phone, absolutely free of charge along with the SIM card. This handset that you will be receiving would be SIM locked and will only work with the SIM card provided by your service provider. At the end of the contracting period, your phone will be SIM unlocked by the service provider, when you will be free to use your cell phone with any SIM card of your choice.

Therefore, whether you are taking your own GSM phone, buying or renting one for your visit to Italy, there are two important aspects to be careful about. Firstly, you need to be sure that the cell phone is SIM unlocked as otherwise it would not work with your pre-paid Italy SIM card, and secondly, your GSM cell phone has to be compatible with the frequency bands as operated by the Italian networks. Rented Italy cell phones are all compatible with the Italian network GSM frequency bands.

Rome is the capital city of Italy. Rome grew from a small city to a vast empire. Romans built monuments through-out the Mediterranean and beyond, symbolising the physical connection between the land controlled by Rome and Rome itself. It was called the capital of the civilised world. These structures built by the Romans signified the strength and power of Rome. The Coliseum in Rome is perhaps the most enduring symbol of Italy. A giant amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, the Coliseum was originally capable of seating 45,000-50,000 spectators and it is where the gladiators used to fight in bloody contests to provide public spectacles. It is estimated the Coliseum was started to be constructed between 70 and 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian. This amphitheatre, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire, was completed in 80 AD under Titus, and further modification took place during Domitian’s reign.

The Coliseum is now in ruined condition and attracts practically every tourist visiting Italy. The amphitheatre was heavily damaged by earthquakes and stone-robbers and has long been the iconic symbol of the Roman Empire. It is one of the finest surviving examples of ancient Roman architecture. The ruins of the Coliseum have still its connection with the Roman Catholic Church, and on each Good Friday, the pope leads a torch lit “Way of the Cross” procession to this amphitheatre.

Your visit to Rome would be incomplete without a visit to the Trevi Fountain. There are great many histories behind this well known fountain, having vivid significance of its decorative architecture. You will get to hear how a local barber had his influence in the design of the fountain. It is estimated that the Trevi Fountain was built between 1732 and 1762 and the project is said to be of one Nicola Salvi. As you approach the Piazza, you can already hear the Fountain’s movement from the nearby streets – a movement which exalts Nature’s constant flow in an incessant play of dynamic effects.

A city within Rome – the Vatican City is situated on the west bank of the river Tiber and is an independent state. The Vatican City is known for its magnificent St Peter’s Basilica, which is reached through the 17th century creation of St. Peter’s Square. St. Peter’s Square was conceived by Bernini and is enclosed two semi-circular colonnades, with an Egyptian obelisk displayed at its center. The Vatican City has impressive buildings packed into a small area, which include St Peter’s Basilica. The city has museums and art galleries, which feature the art collections of the Popes. Much of the resident population is priests and Nuns from different nationalities.

Italy is best seen during spring, in the months of April-May and in autumn during October-November. At this time Italy is full of colour with beautiful sceneries all around, and the temperatures are pleasant. If you are visiting Italy, you should avoid visiting the country in August, because at this time most of the Italians take vacations and you may find that most of the shops and businesses closed.

Cell phone use overseas.
In 99% of the world the local cellular service standard is called GSM. We use this in the states as well. When combined with a SIM CARD (which usually goes under the battery of the phone) the phone is able to communicate and the SIM CARD also holds the telephone number and memory for pre-paid credit. Rates can be extremely low using this system. For example in 99% of all SIM CARDS incoming calls are free and calls to the states can cost a trifle. Such as, from the UK to the USA 7 cents/minute, from Israel 22 cents, from Australia 27 cents. Yes, USA Dollar cents! There are today even prepaid service providers in the USA offering rates of 10 cents per minute to call anywhere in the US to any type of phone. No contracts, no credit card checks, no bills. Pre-paid always means no minimums no contracts, no obligations. You only pay for the calls made. You’ll need an unlocked GSM tri-band or quadband UNLOCKED phone. You can buy factory unlocked phones and sim cards for more than 170 of the 193 countries on earth from http://www.planetomni.com Tel. # 800-514-2984