EU travelers: Your home EU SIM card works in Italy at your domestic rates (EU roaming regulation — "Roam Like at Home"). You don't need an Italian SIM. Non-EU travelers (US, UK, Australia, etc.): You have three options: buy a prepaid Italian SIM (cheapest, most reliable), get an eSIM before you leave (convenient), or rely on WiFi (free but limited). Do NOT use your home carrier's data without checking rates first — non-EU roaming can cost €5-15/MB, turning a week of Google Maps into a €500 bill.
Plan my Italy trip →TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile): The largest network, best coverage (including rural areas). Tourist SIM: "TIM Tourist" — 200 minutes, 20GB data, 30 days, ~€20-30. Buy at TIM stores (in every city — Via del Corso Rome, Galleria Corso Milan, etc.) or at airports. Vodafone Italia: Second-largest, good urban coverage. "Vodafone Simple" or tourist packages, ~€15-25/month. WindTre: Third largest, competitive prices. Tourist plans ~€10-20/month. To buy: bring your passport (required by Italian law for SIM registration). The store staff will set it up — takes 15-20 minutes. Airport SIM counters: Available at Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa, Venice Marco Polo — prices are 10-20% higher than city stores but convenient.
If your phone supports eSIM (iPhone XR and later, most Android flagships from 2020+): buy an eSIM online before you leave home and activate it when you land. Providers: Airalo (global eSIM marketplace — Italy plans from €5/1GB to €18/10GB), Holafly (unlimited data from €19/5 days to €47/15 days — popular but "unlimited" has fair use limits), Nomad eSIM (competitive pricing). Advantage: No store visit, activate instantly on arrival. Disadvantage: Data only (most eSIMs don't include calling — use WhatsApp/FaceTime for calls). More expensive per GB than a physical SIM.
Hotels/B&Bs: Almost all include WiFi (quality varies — city hotels are usually fine, rural agriturismi can be slow). Restaurants/cafés: Most offer WiFi — ask for the password ("Qual è la password del WiFi?"). Public WiFi: Available in some piazzas and train stations (Roma Termini, Milano Centrale — registration required). Unreliable and slow. Tip: Download offline maps (Google Maps → download area) before leaving WiFi — essential for navigation without data.
"Roam Like at Home" (since 2017): If your phone plan is from an EU country, you use your domestic minutes, texts, and data in Italy at no extra charge. Some operators apply a "fair use" data cap for roaming (check with your provider). UK post-Brexit: UK carriers may charge for EU roaming (varies by operator — check before traveling). Some UK plans still include EU roaming.