iphones in italy

sue, It would be a good idea to have a chat with your home cell network first, as they should be able to provide info on international roaming. Most offer "packages" that reduce the costs for voice, text and data but you'll have to ask them for the details. Which carrier are you with? In order to prevent HUGE data roaming costs, you'll need to block the cellular data in your iPhone 5. I don't know if the menus for that are the same as the iPhone 4S, but you can find the switch for that in the "Settings" menus on the phone. I prefer to use a dedicated GPS (Garmin Nüvi) rather than the iPhone, as there are no issues with data roaming. A few points to mention regarding "driving in Tuscany"..... EACH driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. Failure to produce an I.D.P. if requested can result in fines on the spot! You can easily obtain an I.D.P. at any CAA / AAA office for a small fee (Passport photos required). You'll also need to be aware of the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato areas, which are becoming increasingly prevalent in Italy ( especially in Florence). Passing through these zones can result in expensive fines! Recent posts here would seem to indicate that authorities in Italy are becoming more aggressive in collecting the fines from foreign drivers using Collection Agencies based here. There may also be charges from the rental car firm for providing renter information to law enforcement. Happy travels!

@Sue, which carrier (ie. Verizon, ATT, Sprint, etc.) is your iPhone5 and is it an international version? GSM (ATT and TMobile in the US) is the primary cellular network in Italy.

@Chris, "GSM (ATT and TMobile in the US) is the primary cellular network in Italy." Just to clarify, GSM is the only cell network in Italy, and much of the rest of the world. Cheers!

We are just back from 9 days of wineries outside of Florence. Absolutely get a good GPS with a big screen and know how it use it well. It will be the best $100 to $150 you spend on this trip. In the Tuscany country side there are infrequent road marking and feel like you are driving in a maze.

Sue.... If you have an AT&T iphone you need to turn off your cellular data when you leave US and do not turn it on until you are back in the US to avoid huge charges.
As far as GPS... I have driven in Italy for years without one and somehow always found my way, but a GPS is a great help in Europe as I have used one in lots of other countries, and next time I drive in Italy I will take it. Just be sure to have a paper map as well, and learn to use your GPS before you leave home.

I have ATT. So if I turn off the data on the phone - I can't use it for maps - therefore I should get a GPS? I do know about the license and the zonas. thanks sll

To build on what Rose said, have a look at Sygic Italy which is an offline gps app. The cost is around $25 and it looks to be really nice. In addition to spoken turn-by-turn driving directions, it also has a pedestrian mode which is what I'm interested in. It won't give you spoken turn-by-turn directions in pedestrian mode but it will give you turn-by-turn directions. All Iphones have gps capability and you don't need data for gps. A gps app would be a lot less money than having to buy a free standing gps. Maybe some folks will chime in that have used offline gps apps in Italy and let us know if they had any issues that I'm not thinking of.

AT&T international data plans are a good alternative to doing without the benefits of the iPhone. For $60 you get 300 MB of data. That isn't a large amount but it allows occasional use for finding info on places of interest, restaurants, etc. Before your trip learn how to track data use on the phone and experiment with different uses to see how data is used. I've found that map searches and emails are among the biggest data uses. I have TomTom's GPS app for the UK which doesn't require a data feed. It has spoken directions and works pretty well. TomTom has an app for Italy as well.