Airport The Malpensa airport is half an hour by train from Milan. A bus service (Malpensa Express) cover the distance between airport and Central Railway Station.
Underground The underground service it's constituted by three lines that cover almost all city area. The service is from 06.00 a.m to 03.00 a.m. For more informations go to ATM website.
Travel Highways ("autostrade") and roads are in good condition. Italy also has an excellent railway network and trains are inexpensive. Foreigners who do not have an European Union passport need to have an International driver's license, which can be obtained at local automobile clubs. The driver's license is good for one year.
Closing Times The hours of shops and services vary from region to region. In general hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The post office, banks, government offices, ACI (Automobile Club of Italy) are open in the mornings and in the first hours of the afternoon Monday through Friday.
Filling stations are open until 12:30 p.m. They are closed from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. and then open until 7:30 p.m.. Stations are allowed to be open only 8 hours a day, except on the autostrada, where they are open 24 hours. Self service stations (24h - cash or credit cards) are anyway easy to find in the cities too.
Shopping Supermarkets are easy to find; whole shopping complexes are at strategic locations. The village shop is the focal point of social life. People gather there to chat and exchange gossip. Italians buy frequently and in small quantities so that ingredients are fresh. There is no bulk buying.
Foreign Food Foreign food is sold in specialised shops, usually owned by foreign people, but you will find them only in great towns - Updated: February 23, 2001
