texting in Europe

Ro, To begin with, yes, texts / SMS will work with the data roaming switched "off". Texting uses the older GPRS section of the phone rather than the data section. However, you'll need to address a couple of other points..... (1.) Your iPhone MAY OR MAY NOT work in Europe, depending on which model iPhone you're using and which cell network you're with. Could you provide more information on those points? (2.) You WON'T be able to use any other SIM cards in your iPhone unless it's unlocked. Is that the case? Yes, the same card will work in both France and Italy (although the costs will be higher when not in the country where the card was purchased, as you'll be "roaming"). If your phone IS unlocked, you could also use a SIM from one of the travel phone firms (I can provide a list if you're interested). Happy travels!

If your phone is unlocked, you can buy a SIM over there. It will work in France and Italy, but will use up minutes faster when it is out of the country you buy it in. If you text with data on, it will use data (which will cost). If you turn your data off and use texting apps on wifi instead, there will be no charge. Even if your version of iPhone does not work in Europe, you can still use it to text over wifi for free.

I don't think standard texting (SMS) will use data. Not sure about picture messages (MMS). I do know you need to have data turned on to send a picture message, but whether the picture's data actually travels over the data connection, I'm not sure.