Download these AT HOME on WiFi. Italian data can be slow. Airport WiFi is unreliable. These 20 apps cover transport, food, language, money, maps, and the moment when you're in a Calabrian village at 10pm and need to find the only open restaurant. SIM card →
1. Trenitalia: Official train app — buy tickets, live delays, platform numbers. 2. Italo Treno: The other high-speed operator — sometimes cheaper. 3. Moovit: Public transport (buses, metro, trams) for ALL Italian cities. Better than Google Maps for local transit. 4. itTaxi: Official Italian taxi app — hail, pay in-app, fixed fares. 5. Glovo: Food delivery + groceries + pharmacy.
6. Google Maps (offline): Download Italy map offline BEFORE arriving. Essential for walking directions. 7. Maps.me: Offline maps — better for hiking trails and rural areas. 8. Waze: If driving — real-time traffic, speed cameras, ZTL warnings.
9. TheFork (La Forchetta): Restaurant booking — sometimes 20-50% discounts on meals. 10. HappyCow: Vegetarian/vegan restaurants. 11. Gelateria app: Dissapore or TripAdvisor for gelato rankings by city. 12. Vivino: Scan wine labels → get ratings + prices.
13. Google Translate: Camera mode — point at menu, get instant translation. Download Italian offline pack. 14. Duolingo: Start 2 weeks before trip — 10 min/day = enough for "buongiorno" + "il conto." 15. Wise (TransferWise): Best exchange rate for card payments. 16. Revolut: Same — no foreign transaction fees. 17. XE Currency: Quick EUR↔USD/GBP conversion. 18. Rick Steves Audio Europe: Free audio tours. 19. I Nasoni di Roma: Maps every free drinking fountain in Rome. 20. Musement/GYG: Skip-the-line tickets for museums.